Eyes of the Doppelganger
by BettyBlue7
Summary: Season 4. When Elena decides to make the transition into a vampire there is an unexpected side effect when she develops a pyschic link to the other vampire doppelganger, Katherine. With access to all Katherine's memories as well as new ones of her own, will she start seeing the Salvatore brothers differently?
1. Chapter 1

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 1 **

**Author Note:** First time posting, please be kind. Thank you. I don't own any characters or anything to do with The Vampire Diaries, this is purely for fun.

Her fingers were so cold, her clothes and hair still wet. She must be so cold. Damon tightened his hand on hers, never taking his eyes from her face. The touch of her clammy, lifeless flesh made something inside him physically crumble but he couldn't let go. He would never let go. Even though the beautiful creature lying in front of him might as well be carved from stone now, he could not miss a minute of being near her. He knew that the few minutes that were left were already slipping helplessly away from him and would soon be gone for ever. Just another thing that he loved ripped away from him, another chance of happiness snuffed out, happiness that he knew deep down he didn't deserve. What was there here for him now ... or anywhere for that matter? There was no meaning to anything if she wasn't here. Oh he knew that the lifeless body would spring to life again, lurching along on borrowed time until the eventual decision was made. The decision he had been forced into. Meredith had told him everything and it had been all he could do not to rip her throat out right there in the hospital corridor. This was just one more indignity, watching her torture herself over the prospect of spending an eternity as a vampire, an eternity like him. He knew that it was the last thing that she wanted and it was the last thing that he wanted for her. He only hoped that when the time came he would have the strength to let her die because in his heart he knew that once those chocolate brown eyes opened again and looked into his, the thought of them closing for ever would be unbearable.

The room was dark apart from the soft red glow of an unceasing emergency light beyond the curtains. It was the way he liked it, the way he thought she would like it when she awoke gasping and frightened and inhabiting a body that was no longer hers. None the less he could still make out every contour of her face and the shadow of every eyelash that brushed her cheek. He tried to think about what it would be like to never be able to look on that perfect face again and he could unearth no emotion. It was too much to comprehend and it left him feeling nothing but cold and utterly empty.

He shifted in the chair slightly and gritted his teeth against the numbing pain that was clawing its way through him when suddenly he felt it - almost imperceptible at first but when it happened a second time he was sure. Her hand had squeezed his, just a little, as if she knew that he was there. That one slight movement sent the numbness skittering into the shadowy corners of the room. All of his own feelings were obliterated as her lashes fluttered slightly and she stirred. His only thoughts were now for her and the tormenting hours that lay ahead of her. He reached up and brushed a few damp strands of hair from her face, his stomach twisting in awful anticipation. He stroked her hair back once more and then she was with him. Not a juddering, inward scream that twisted her face in horror like he expected but a slow deep breath, like someone waking from a long sleep, as her large eyes slowly opened and latched onto his. For a moment both of them were quiet. The whole world seemed to have gone quiet. Damon, with all his vampire hearing, could not hear a thing. It was like nothing existed outside of this dark hospital room, where they gazed into each other's eyes and he tried to tell her without words how he would give up anything to make this right. Her eyes were agony. They were the Elena he loved, all her goodness and generosity and love gathering in the one place and flowing directly into him. It made his heart swell painfully. Strength. He had to find the strength to let her make her decision. It had to be her decision. He was just about to tell her that when her lips parted and one word rushed out on a shaky breath.

'Damon'.

The sound of his name husky and needy on her lips made his entire being shudder. He looked at her expectantly, unable to form any kind of coherent reply. She licked her lips sending an electric charge all the way up Damon's spine and, with a little effort she said,

'I'm sorry'.

Damon blinked in confusion.

'You're sorry?'

'I've made a mess of everything again, haven't I?' She continued sadly, her voice becoming stronger. She still lay on the bed, a vision of serenity, her eyes full of sadness and her fingers clinging to his hand.

'No', he finally replied. 'It's not your fault. I could have guessed that you would have asked him to save Matt first. It's exactly the kind of thing you do. Stefan should have made a better choice'.

'He made the right choice, Damon', she said sagely, the sound of her saying his name again killing any argument he was considering. 'But I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about me. I could have made a better choice too'. Unexpected hope surged through Damon although his thoughts were far too fractured for him to understand why.

'What do you mean?' he asked, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. Elena laboriously lifted her head from the pillow and propped herself heavily on her elbow so that her face was level with his. For the first time her hand slipped out of his grip.

'I mean that with a split second to make that decision, Stefan did the right thing. I've had years now to make my decision and I still got it wrong.'

Damon's eyebrows rose as he started to comprehend what she was saying to him. Was it possible that she could suddenly erase the pain of that awful phone call with this one sentence? All of a sudden nothing else mattered to him, because in some way he knew that if she was really changing her mind, if she was choosing him then somehow he could make everything else be all right.

'I watched Stefan rescue Matt and leave me behind Damon. I told him to, it was what I wanted because I knew that it was the right thing to do too - but that's just the point. Stefan will always do the right thing, no matter what that is. Even if means I end up dead. I know you won't always do the right thing Damon, but I know that you will always do the right thing _for me_.'

'Always' he nodded, fighting the unfamiliar feeling of tears behind his eyes. As she spoke her hand slowly found its way to his face and she now stroked his cheek softly. He turned his face into her palm and kissed it. All the deathliness that had haunted it moments earlier was now gone and it was warm and inviting again.

'I should have kept driving' Elena told him, her voice low as her face moved so close to his that he could feel her sweet breath on his cheek, 'I should never have stopped until I reached you'. Her words and the warm, solid closeness of her were too much for Damon. His heart erupted with joy forcing the air out of his lungs in a desperate gasp as he closed the tiny gap that was left between their lips and kissed her.

It was unlike any kiss that they had shared before. She had always been so careful, so guarded. A part of her had always been unsure and he could feel that part of her holding back, but not anymore. Now she kissed him with unadulterated want. They were hungry for each other and the overwhelming waves of desire and relief that were crashing over Damon drove gentleness from his mind. He moved quickly to sit on the bed and pulled Elena up into his arms. Her whole body slid towards him and her hands forced themselves underneath his leather jacket digging her nails into his back through his shirt. Damon groaned and buried his hand in her hair, kissing her so deeply that it almost made him feel drunk. Elena pulled him closer and closer as if she could not bear for even the thinnest sliver of air to separate them any longer. He felt her breasts pushing insistently at his chest and he ran his other hand down the length of her spine and pulled her up into his lap by the small of her back.

She roughly wrenched his jacket back from his shoulders and dragged it down his arms until she could throw it contemptuously to the floor. She wanted nothing in between them now. She tore at his shirt while he let his hands stray down over her waist to her ass and thighs, grasping at the areas he had never been allowed access to before. He grabbed her sweater and pulled it up over her head and marvelled for a second at how beautiful she looked with only the dusky pink bra clinging to her olive skin. She was bare to him at last and she was not afraid, not shy. She was panting for breath and looking at him from under her eyelids with such unbridled desire that the air around them pulsed with it. For the first time he smiled. He knew she could be like this. He was sure that Stefan would never have been able to coax this Elena into his bed but he had always know that he could.

They crashed together again and his hands tried to feel every inch of flesh at once. They followed the curve of her hip then travelled across her stomach until they closed around her breasts. They were as perfect as he had expected and he manipulated them with an expert hand eliciting a sharp hiss of pleasure from Elena. Hands and tongues seemed to be everywhere at once; it was as if nothing was enough. No kiss deep enough, no embrace tight enough. This was as close as Damon was ever going to get to heaven and he never wanted this feeling to end. As if sensing his thoughts Elena broke away with a gasp, her lips red and enticingly swollen, her arms still tight around his neck. .

'I need you Damon' she panted, 'I can't ever let this feeling stop – never' she emphasised by tugging on his hair causing an exquisite surge of pain that flared into intense pleasure. Damon nodded, completely intoxicated by her.

'For ever', he agreed, 'You and me for eternity', he promised with a flick of a smile. She gave him a hungry grin in return but before their kissing could resume there came a noise from the door. They both whipped their heads round to see Matt standing in the doorway. He was wearing a hospital gown and had a bandage fitted snugly around his head. His face was a mixture of confusion and shock.

'Elena … you're …what's going on?' he stammered. Struggling to take in the sight of them half naked and so tightly entwined that it was difficult to see where Elena stopped and Damon began. Before he could say anything further Damon had flown at Vampire speed from the bed and was behind him. One of his arms pinned Matt's arms tightly to his side while the other grabbed a handful of hair and yanked his head back. His throat was a swathe of pale flesh, vulnerable and throbbing with life. Damon looked over Matt's shoulder to Elena and his lips curved into a smile that grew from the pure animalistic joy that was welling up in him. This was what he was and this was what she would be too. With one last look at her encouraging eyes he felt his fangs extend and the veins in his face bubble and fill with blood. A wild sound that was almost a roar escaped him as his face descended with deadly speed and sank into Matt's flesh, tearing his throat wide open.

The initial spurt of blood dyed the hospital gown bright crimson and Damon savoured the mouthful that had run in gloriously warm rivulets down his throat. The blood was coursing steadily from the wound now and Damon could see Elena's eyes widen into saucers with desire. He hauled Matt's body across the room and slammed it onto the bed in front of her.

'For ever' he repeated and then pressed his bloody lips to hers. She accepted excitedly and within seconds was voraciously licking the blood from his face. The smell of blood and death was suffocating in the dark room. It invaded all of Damon's senses until he couldn't think about anything else and when Elena pulled back and he saw her face smeared with blood his excitement reached fever pitch. With a cry of satisfaction she raised her head, mouth open and teeth bared and dove into the gaping wound on Matt's neck.

Damon woke with a start, his skin tingling with horror and an erection straining shamefully at his jeans. He looked guiltily around the room as if someone might have seen the lurid dream that had been playing through his head but he was alone next to Elena. She was still lying motionless on the bed in a horrible parody of sleep. He was still holding her hand but he withdrew it hastily now. It didn't feel right to touch her after the grotesque scenario that had found its way into his consciousness. Suddenly a thought leapt into his head. Stefan. Had Stefan been infiltrating his dreams? He leapt to his feet and lunged for the door, swinging out into the corridor, every nerve bristling and ready for a fight.

Stefan was standing at the end of the corridor. He was staring through the window into Matt's room, his face ashen and set in a rictus of despair. A thoroughly depressing statue Damon thought wryly. He couldn't tell whether Stefan was distraught with himself for saving Matt first, with Matt for being alive when Elena was not or if he was simply willing him to pull through so that at least some good might come out of his actions this evening. Whatever the reason was there was no way that he was in any fit state to be joyriding in other people's dreams. Damon shook his head with a twinge of shame. No, the macabre vision he had just endured had been his alone. He laughed mirthlessly as he thought about how far from reality that would be. She would not miraculously wake up ready to face the transition, she would not miraculously wake up wanting different things … wanting him. Strength? Even in his dream he had fallen at the first hurdle. The real Elena would be horrified at the thought of an eternity as a vampire and no promises that he could make her would ever change that. No matter how much he loved her he knew that she would hate herself.

'Damon?' his thoughts were suddenly interrupted. He looked up and realised that Stefan had spoken and was looking at him. 'Is she still …' Stefan trailed off.

'Sleeping beauty?' replied Damon. 'Yes she is, but you would know that if you were looking through her window and not … _his_'. He knew he shouldn't complain since it left him alone with Elena but it did irk him that Stefan, the man she had chosen over him didn't want to spend every possible remaining moment with her.

'I just wanted to see how Matt was …' Stefan began, thrown off guard by Damon's accusation.

'Yeah', Damon interrupted him, ''He's you're number one priority isn't he. You've made that pretty clear'.

'Come on Damon, that's not fair' Stefan replied but it came out like a bleat. 'What would you have done …'

'You know exactly what I would have done', Damon snapped striding up the corridor so that they were face to face. 'I'd just really like to know why you didn't. And another thing Mr Knight in Shining Armour, what are you doing pacing the corridors instead of staying with her when she really needs you? She chose you so why aren't you choosing her!' he snarled. Stefan's face contorted in anguish and his hands lashed out catching Damon in the chest and pushing him away.

'Back off Damon!' he growled, 'I don't need this right now. We're all upset'.

'Oh yeah' Damon scoffed, 'Everyone's upset but nobody's getting down to whose fault this is!'

'It was an accident!' Stefan cried and Damon felt his rage surge forward, knocking any restraint he was exercising completely out of the way. He sprang forward grabbing the front of Stefan's shirt and slamming him into the window behind with enough force to send spidery cracks spreading across the glass.

'Hey!' came a cry of alarm as Meredith rounded the corner and was faced with the brothers struggling against the wall.

'You could have saved her! Why didn't you save her' Damon was screaming while Stefan wailed,

'It's not what she wanted, she would never have forgiven me'. Meredith strode towards them and tried to drive an arm into the middle of the scuffle to force the brothers apart.

'This is helping nobody!' she shouted.

Several open mouthed doctors gathered in the corridor drawn by the commotion and stood by dumbly, not sure how to break up the escalating brawl that was threatening to bring down the ceiling. Stefan managed to push Damon off of him and he crashed into the opposite wall. Meredith placed herself between them; arms outstretched trying to keep them at a distance. Both Stefan and Damon's eyes burned like liquid metal and they tensed themselves to fly at each other when suddenly they heard the only sound that could bring them to a halt.

Elena's awakening scream seemed to ring through the whole hospital. Meredith's arms dropped to her side while Stefan staggered back and sagged against the wall, his hands coming up to cover his ears. Damon grimaced as every ounce of fight left his body. Yes, this was the reaction he had been expecting.


	2. Chapter 2

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 2**

**Author Note:** Thank you so much to all the people who have already shown interest in this story – it makes me very happy! I hope it's not going too slowly for people, I promise I'm getting there. Once again, I don't own any characters or anything to do with The Vampire Diaries, this is purely for fun.

For a moment everyone in the hall was frozen as a tense, heavy silence followed Elena's scream. Damon's eyes were still locked on his brother's but they were different now. Stefan's look was one of a little boy lost, as if he was beseeching his older brother to tell him what he should do. Damon suddenly felt a splinter of a memory surface, one of Stefan giving him exactly the same look when they were young. He had done it often when he got himself into some childish scrape or other. He had always turned to Damon to make things all right again and Damon had always indulgently complied. Damon shook his head so slightly that only his brother would be able to perceive it. 'You're out of luck Stefan' he though wryly, 'I've no idea how to fix this one'. He squeezed his eyes shut, unable to take his brother's gaze a moment longer. It was full of far too much of the despair that was currently saturating his own mind and it just reminded him that Stefan was the only other person in the world that had even the slightest idea of how he was feeling right now.

Suddenly Damon's eyes flew open as he realised that they were all still standing in the corridor, a little tableau of shock. Grimacing he understood that everyone was afraid to face Elena in that room, to tell her what had happened and what she was going to have to decide. However they couldn't put it off any longer and Damon became the first to jerk himself to life and rush towards Elena's door with Stefan close behind. They both rounded her door at the same time, two Salvatores together, as always where Elena was concerned. They stopped in their tracks when they saw her moving and alive again. The relief, short-lived as it may be, that surged through Damon was almost enough to bring him to his knees.

She was sitting up on the bed, not calm and graceful as she had been in Damon's dream but frantic and desperate. She was wildly grasping at random parts of her body as if checking that everything was still intact and working as it should. Her face slowly changed from fear to relief as she realised that everything, for the time being was as she remembered it. She became aware of their presence with a sudden jolt and snapped her face up to look at them. Her features slackened with disbelief before her eyes started to shine.

'You're here', she breathed. 'You're both here. You're alive!' the initial excitement in her voice drained slightly as her face travelled from Stefan to Damon. As she looked at him her eyes darkened with an emotion he couldn't identify and her smile melted away. Was it guilt for abandoning him when he was staring death in the face or was it the shade of an apology that he could see swimming around in the tumultuous pools of her eyes? When she finally spoke again her voice was significantly more subdued. 'How …?' she asked.

Damon glanced at his brother and nodded towards Elena. She chose him; he could deal with the difficult questions. Stefan looked terrified for a moment, like a deer caught in headlights but after a moment Damon could see him mentally giving himself shake and steeling himself to face her. He turned to her and approached the bed, perching on the edge beside her.

'How do you feel?' he asked, trying to ignore her first question, Damon rolled his eyes and moved to lean against the wall a little away from the bed.

'I'm fine', Elena replied, 'Although … I could have sworn …' she trailed off for a moment grasping at her chest again before breaking into a shaky laugh. Stefan and Damon exchanged a look. 'I remember being in the car', Elena continued, 'I was underwater and I couldn't breathe and then suddenly it got so dark and I was sure …' she trailed off as the feeling of water and breathlessness surged back into her memory. She closed her eyes and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Stefan. 'I was so sure it was end. How did you get me out?' she finished.

Damon felt his stomach sink with both the stab of jealousy that accompanied her reaching for his brother and also the realisation that Elena thought she was still alive. She didn't know she had been given his blood, she thought that she had been rescued. Damon ached all over as he realised that this was even worse than he thought. He watched Stefan's whole body clench and suppressed a mirthless laugh as he realised that Stefan clearly had come to the same conclusion

Before either of them could say anything else, however, Elena suddenly pulled back, her face panicked again.

'You were there' she gasped, 'I remember now, you were outside the window and I … I told you to save Matt! Matt! Where is he? Is he all right?'

Stefan took Elena by the shoulders and eased her back onto the pillows taking a deep breath.

'Matt is here' he assured her. 'He was hurt in the crash, they think he hit his head on something during the impact with the water. He's still unconscious but the doctors are doing everything that they can. They're sure that he'll come through it just fine'.

'Thank god', Elena sighed slumping back into the pillows and rubbing her temples.

'Are you all right?' Stefan asked quietly. He raised his hand as if to touch her but something inside him seemed to stall and his hand fell limply back onto the bedcovers again. Damon cocked his head watched with interest.

'I'm fine' she replied, 'Just … weirdly hungry. I mean … really, really hungry'. A hint of realisation crossed her face and she whipped her head back up to look at them. 'Stefan, how did you get me out of the car?' she asked, her voice low and measured.

'I tried', Stefan shook his head, his barley contained distress bursting forth as if a damn had given way. 'I came back as soon as I got Matt out …'

'How did you get me out of the car Stefan!' she cried again, her voice wild with desperation.

'I just wasn't quick enough' Stefan breathed, tears beginning to fall. 'I tried, I swear I tried' he promised her. He looked utterly desolate sitting by her side, bearing the brunt of her rage and despair. Damon pulled away from the wall, no longer able to stand still. The scene playing out before him on the bed was getting dangerous and he wanted to be ready to step in if necessary. Also the urge to scoop her into his arms and kiss her tears away was getting far too strong to bear.

'But how?' she wailed, 'There was no vampire blood in my system, how could this have happened?'

'It was Meredith', Stefan choked out. 'When you collapsed your condition was worse than she let on. She gave you vampire blood, Elena. She tried to save you the only way she could'. Elena gaped at him for a moment her head shaking slightly in disbelief as she processed this new information, then slowly, as it sunk in, her features crumpled and a wail of agony tore itself from her chest.

'NO!' she screamed and one little fist lashed out at him, 'No' she sobbed frantically as more frenzied blows rained across Stefan's chest. At last Damon couldn't stand by any longer, he couldn't bear to watch her in pain like this. He had seen her in pain before but this was worse. This was the complete destruction of her whole world and this time there was nothing that they could do to change it. He couldn't help her. He took a swift step forward and grabbed Stefan by the shoulder; he tore him from Elena's onslaught and yanked him to his feet.

'You'd better go and get Meredith before she hurts herself', Damon growled at his brother and after looking dazed for a moment he nodded. He was clearly relieved to escape the room, run as far as he could from Elena's misery. For a moment anger flared through Damon at his brother. Damon didn't know how he would cope if this situation was on his conscience but he knew that he would not be running away from it like Stefan. But Damon was stubbornly sure that he would never have let this happen.

Once Stefan was gone he strode forward to the bed where Elena was hugging her knees to her chest and sobbing violently. He sat down where Stefan had been only moments before and he grasped her shoulders.

'Elena!' His voice was loud and firm but she was too devastated to heed him. 'Elena!' he repeated, raising his voice a little further and giving her body a gentle shake. This finally got her attention and her breathing slowed a little and she looked at him, her whole body trembling. When her tear filled eyes met his he wanted to fold her into his arms and rock her gently to sleep in the hope that when she woke up this whole nightmare would be over. But he couldn't do that. Taking a deep breath he thought about that phone call to give him the strength to say what he had to say. He remembered her words as he lay supposedly dying. She didn't want him.

'Hey', he started in an authoritative tone, 'I'm sorry, ok?' His hand went firmly to her cheek, steadying her face and forcing her to meet his eyes. 'I know this is hard, I've been there. None of us wanted it but this is just the way things are. The damage is done and you've got to think now. You can't fall apart. You need to decide what you want to do and it had better be the right decision, Elena, because you _will_ have to live with it for ever. You don't have much time so you have to pull yourself together and really think about what you want. We all know how bad you are at that', he couldn't help quipping, 'but this is a decision that you have to make. And you have to make it soon', he finished. She looked at him with wide eyes before falling back onto the pillows out of his grip and covering her face. He knew that he had been a little harsh but his speech seemed to have had the desired effect. She was quiet now and working to get her breathing back to normal. Slowly she dragged her hands down her tear stained face. She seemed completely exhausted. Slowly she looked at Damon and for a long time simply regarded him in silence.

'What?' Damon finally grunted quietly. She shook her head.

'I just never thought I'd get to see you again' she replied sadly. Damon felt his stomach twist a little at her unexpected answer and then he began to feel angry. Even now she was still playing with him, reeling him out a little hope and then snatching it back again. He opened his mouth to reply but before he could there was a commotion from outside the room and Stefan hurried in with Meredith in tow. Meredith was clutching a medical carrier and she strained to lift it up onto the table beside Elena's bed. Damon could already smell that it was filled with blood, several bags by his reckoning. Enough to get Elena through the transition.

'Elena, you're awake', gasped Meredith, 'Are you all right?' she lifted a flashlight to check Elena's pupil response but Elena swatted her hand away.

'I'm fine. No thanks to you', Elena replied tersely. Meredith recoiled as if she had been physically struck.

'Elena, I was only trying to help' she said weakly, 'You would have died from that head injury if I hadn't …Jeremy was so worried …'

'Jeremy!' Elena cut her off sharply, her voice tightening, 'Where is Jeremy? Why isn't he here?'

'He's fine' Meredith hastily assured her, 'He was here for some time after you were brought in but we managed to convince him to go home and wait because we didn't want him to see …' she trailed off.

'See me kill myself?' Elena finished for her. Everyone in the room winced. 'Because no matter what I choose that's the end result really'.

'We can call him to come if you want?' Meredith offered powerlessly.

'Don't' Elena silenced her, 'Just don't!' She slowly turned her head to the carrier next to the bed and sighed. 'Jeremy. He's lost everything. How would he ever cope with losing me too, I'm all he has left? What has he ever done to deserve all this?' she mused wearily to herself. Damon closed his eyes in anguish; he could almost see the decision being made in her face. She would not abandon her brother. Vampire or human she would not leave him all alone. Her decision was made and it was yet another one made with someone else in mind instead of herself. His heart ached so profusely that he had to do something to ease this all-consuming feeling of helplessness.

Meredith and Stefan were shifting uncomfortably too when Elena finally raised her head again. 'So what now?' she asked lifelessly. That was the last straw for Damon. He couldn't contain himself any longer. The conflicting emotions that were pounding through him were pushing him to him limit and left him feeling wild and out of control. With a swell of dark energy he strode forward and grabbed the carrier from the side of the bed and thrust it into Elena's arms, breaking her out of the melancholy that she had lapsed into.

'I think you know the drill Elena', he snapped, 'You drink you stay, you don't you die. It's pretty straightforward. Nobody can help you on this one'.

'Damon!' Stefan gasped in disbelief.

'No, I've had enough of this. There's no point moping around. The facts are that there are two ways out of this', he turned to Elena, his eyes aflame, 'You're always telling us that you are sick of people trying to decide what's best for your so now's your chance. I say it's time you stood on your own two feet and took some share of the responsibility'. Elena looked at him, eyes wide with shock.

'All right, that's enough' Stefan cried, jumping to his feet and grabbing Damon by the shoulders, roughly hustling him from the room. Once they were round the corner, out of earshot, Damon shrugged him off and rounded on him.

'Do you think you are helping Stefan? Pandering to her teenage whimpering?' he growled.

'She has just had her life snatched away from her', Stefan bristled.

'Exactly', Damon snarled, 'It's been snatched, it's gone. Snivelling over it is only wasting time. She needs to do what she has to do'. Damon felt the rage and misery within him reach a peak and then slowly ebb. He could hear the harshness of his words. The only barbs he had left to defend himself from the horrible eventuality that deep down he didn't want to prevent because it meant that she would still be here. That was why he was so angry. He couldn't admit to his own selfish desire to be in a world where she existed. Deep down he didn't care about the eternity of damnation she would be condemned to, not if it meant that she was still here. He loved her so much that his selfishness flourished. He was the monster everyone supposed him to be. Stefan seemed to sense the deflation of his anger and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

'None of us wants this', he said quietly. Suddenly they were interrupted by Meredith appearing around the corner and her face flooded with relief that they were not tearing each other to pieces.

'Hey', she said, getting in between them, 'Elena needs both of you right now, could you possibly try to contain whatever you are feeling and help her through this? I thought you both loved her.' Damon looked at her in disbelief and anger coiled in his stomach again.

'Contain what we're feeling? You could never begin to know what I am feeling. Especially not about Elena.'

'Oh Damon, stop', Stefan groaned, 'Please, we need to concentrate on Elena now; we're all worried about her.'

'He's right' Meredith joined in, 'There's no point fighting among ourselves, you need to help your friend'.

'Fighting among ourselves? You stuck her with vampire blood instead of doing your job properly and you left her to drown!' Damon cried, 'With friends like you who even needs enemies'. Stefan's face slackened a little as Damon's words hit home. 'You know it too', Damon went on, sensing a weakness and pouncing on it. He knew he was wrong but falling back on old habits was comforting to him right now. 'I saw you in there; you feel so guilty you can hardly look at her let alone touch her.'

'I've had enough of this' Stefan snapped and began to head back to Elena's room.

Damon knew he was out of line but it made him feel better. Lashing out at somebody else was almost like lashing out at the helplessness that was gnawing at his insides. He hated to feel helpless.

'Well you've got all of forever to let that guilt eat away at you little bro…', Damon niggled back at him but he stopped short when they entered the room. They both halted and felt their hearts contract. The container of blood was gone. And so was Elena.

'


	3. Chapter 3

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 3**

'Elena!' Damon cried as he wrenched open another cupboard door, 'Elena where are you?' This was the last room he had to search and he was just about to confirm what he already knew. She was not hiding in the hospital, she had gone. Once he and Stefan had discovered that she was missing the resultant chaos had finally culminated in a thorough search of the hospital. Throughout all of it Damon's very skin itched because he was sure that they would not find her, he was positive that he would be able to sense her if she was still in the hospital. The others were not so sure; they thought that in her disoriented condition she had perhaps just tried to get away from the arguing and the aggression by hiding nearby. Damon doubted this very much. No, she would never hide. She would have taken it into her head to spare them the sight of her completing the transition or some other such nonsense. Maybe he had gone too far when he shouted at her and she wanted to remove the Salvatore brothers from her decision and its ramifications completely. That would be just like her. He felt guilt creeping up his spine as he thought about what he had said to her. Why did he always have to lose his temper? One of these days it was going to get him into a mess that he couldn't talk his way around.

Finally satisfied that Elena was nowhere to be found in the rooms that he had been allotted to search he raced back down the stairs, impatiently struggling not to move at vampire speed. The others were also returning from their fruitless searches and they converged in the corridor outside Elena's room at the same time.

'Well either she's the Mystic Falls Hide and Seek champion or she's long gone from here', Damon glowered as he felt the frustration emanating from the others.

'Where would she go?' Meredith asked anxiously. Damon snorted slightly.

'If _she_ went anywhere', he grunted, 'Someone could have taken her!' Stefan slowly shook his head.

'I don't think so. We were only around the corner. If someone had tried to take her she would have put up a fight. There would have been signs of a scuffle or we would have heard something', he pointed out agitatedly. Damon begrudgingly had to agree with him. No, this didn't feel like the foul play that they were so used to. This had Elena written all over it. It didn't help that she was confused and thirsty too. He could only imagine what was going on in her head. She would feel like she had disappointed them all. After all that they had done to keep her alive over the years, she would feel like this was the worst possible thing that she could allow to happen. This was her way of trying to spare them the final horror of watching her turn ... or die. Damon felt the impatience flare in him again.

'So where did she go?' he asked, 'We've got to find her soon. What if she decides to turn and there are people about. She won't be able to stop herself.' This had to be one of the flaws to her plan that she had overlooked in her confusion.

'I don't know, I don't _know_;' Stefan fretted, panic rising in his voice. Damon had never seen his brother this weak. It irritated him endlessly. Stefan had won, he had walked away with all the spoils yet again just like Stefan always did but he was not strong enough to do what it took to keep them. This was what Elena had chosen over his own unwavering devotion and it left the bitterest of tastes in his mouth. Sensing the atmosphere becoming charged again, Meredith stepped in.

'Put yourself in her shoes', she suggested, 'Where would she go? What was the most important thing to her?' After a beat both Salvatores raised their heads quickly and answered as one.

'Family.'

'The most important thing to Elena was her family, it's always been the most important thing' Stefan nodded vehemently. 'She's gone home. She's gone home to Jeremy' he gasped with relief. Damon felt something inside him stir a little at this suggestion and somehow it didn't quite feel right to him.

'I don't know,' he started, 'She could hurt Jeremy if she turned. She knows that. Do you really think she would risk it?'

'Maybe she's not planning to turn?' Stefan replied grimly, already heading towards the door. 'Maybe she just wants to say goodbye? You know how important her family is to her. Jeremy is all the family that she has left.' Damon frowned, he had already seen in Elena's face that she had decided to turn. Yes, her family, Jeremy, was the most important thing to her. That's why she wasn't going to leave him. He had seen the pain in her face when she had considered it and Damon thought, no, he knew, that she would never let it happen. So why would she risk hurting, or worse killing him, when she turned? She wouldn't, Damon decided, she had not gone home. All of a sudden he was quite sure of it.

'No, I don't think so', Damon ran after Stefan and pulled him back by the arm, 'You're wrong, I don't think that's where she would go.' Stefan snatched his arm back impatiently.

'Look Damon, we don't have much time. Elena would want to see Jeremy. I'm sure she's gone home and I'm going to find her. If you have a better idea then go and look yourself', he snapped and with that he shouldered Damon out of his way and was gone from the hospital corridor. For a moment Damon felt like running after him and landing a punch squarely in the middle of his face but he restrained himself.

'A better idea', he said under his breath. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to clear his head. He pictured Elena sitting in the room with the medical carrier grasped in her shaking hands, listening to argument that he and Stefan were having. He saw her decide that she was causing them all too much pain and that if this was her decision she was making it on her own. She took the carrier and ran, damp hair streaming behind her. Slowly he walked out of the hospital into the night, following in his mind the route that he suspected she had taken. Perhaps at first Stefan was right, perhaps she did want to go to Jeremy. Maybe she even started heading in that direction but then it would have occurred to her what could happen if she turned. The danger she would be leading him into once again. So she would have stopped.

'Then where?' hissed Damon under his breath. He had stopped in the middle of the street just outside the hospital and a car narrowly missed him as it sped by. He looked up at the cars and narrowed his eyes. 'Hitched a ride?' he asked himself, watching as another vehicle halted next to him at the stop light. He rubbed his temples in frustration. She was alone, frightened and confused. She was still wearing damp clothes and had wet hair and she was so heartbroken that she wasn't thinking straight. Stefan was right, family would be the one thing that she would want at that moment – but how would she be sure that she didn't kill anyone? Just as he felt like grabbing the nearest passer-by and tearing their heart out in frustration, Damon had an epiphany. Surely she wouldn't go there. But the more he thought about it the more he was convinced that he was right. Without wasting any more time he took off running, praying that this hunch paid off.

He streaked across the road to where the woods began and the second he slipped into the trees he began moving at vampire speed, rushing along in a dark blur. The trees around him grew thicker and thicker until he finally hit the spot he had been aiming for. He burst out of the woods and felt his feet meet a hard surface as he alighted on another road. This place was so eerily familiar that it sent a little shiver down his spine. He looked down at the asphalt and followed a set of long black skid marks to where they petered out. He was standing directly before the Wickery Bridge.

There was still an emergency barrier standing at the point where Matt and Elena had smashed through the roadside railing and plunged into the water. Lengths of police accident tape fluttered in the slight breeze as they snagged on the jagged edges of the broken fence. Damon moved towards the bridge and, as the moon emerged from behind the clouds it threw everything into a stark silhouette. There, standing in the middle of the bridge with moonlight glinting on her skin was Elena. She was leaning against the barrier with the medical carrier at her feet. Her tears had stopped and she simply stared as if in a trance into the black swirling water below. Even if Damon had not been moving like a vampire he would probably have reached her without her noticing.

His heart swelled when he saw her. All anger was driven away by the relief that flooded him when he realised that she was safe. She looked so beautiful and serene standing in the moonlight that for a moment he didn't want to disturb her. The woods were quiet apart from the sounds of a few scuffling animals and an owl that hooted forlornly somewhere in the trees. The scent of sweet night time flowers curled through the air in wisps and the trees fell away like a dark curtain at the water's edge to frame the scene on the bridge. A wild happiness thundered inside his chest as all these things assaulted Damon's acute senses at once and he knew that this would be a moment that he would remember forever. He was almost reluctant to break the calm and beautiful spell by moving closer to her but after a moment he decided that he couldn't wait any longer.

He approached until he was standing right over her shoulder. She had pushed her hair behind her ear and this left the curve of her neck enticingly visible. He let his eyes follow her moonlight white skin down to where it disappeared beneath her shirt and suddenly there was something achingly intimate about him being there with her. It felt wrong that she was not aware of his presence. Reluctantly he let himself slide forward and lean backwards against the barrier next to her.

'Hi' he grinned wryly with a raised eyebrow. Elena jumped with a startled gasp and after a quick moment of indecision, she turned and began to run. Within seconds however she collided with a solid leather clad barrier and realised that Damon's vampire speed had out manoeuvred her. As she rebounded off of his chest he took a gentle but inescapable hold of her shoulders so that she could not try it again,

'Really?' he asked with mock disbelief, 'You were going to try to outrun a vampire? Have you really not been paying attention for the last few years?' Elena's looked at him with slightly dazed eyes for a moment and then all the tension left her body.

'Sorry' she sighed, her eyes on the ground, 'I'm just full of bad decisions today'. Damon shook his head and she pulled away from him, returning to stare into the seemingly bottomless water that churned below them. 'Where are the others?' she asked, her voice emotionless.

'They thought that you had gone home. To see Jeremy', he replied.

'But you knew better?' she asked with the tiniest quirk of a smile.

'I always know better', Damon answered cockily, aiming for playful but just sounding sorrowful. He moved to lean against the barrier side by side with her. He might be wrong but he was sure he discerned a very slight shake of weak laughter. 'So you were just going to take off? Just like that? Do you know how worried we were?' he asked, carefully controlling his voice. Elena's head dropped further and that look of anguish entered her face again.

'I know - I'm sorry. Really I am. There was just so much going on in my head and it was so hard to sort through it because I am so _hungry_.' The last word was drawn out into a whine of despair. 'I can't think straight Damon and in the hospital it was noisy and there were too many people and you were all arguing and I just ... I needed some quiet ... I needed to be able to hear myself think' she cried. Damon sighed heavily.

'Look, about the hospital, I ...'

'No, it's all right', Elena interrupted him. 'You just told it like it was without sugar coating it. What's the point of sugar coating it now anyway, let's be honest.' At last she turned and met his eyes sadly. 'I needed to hear you say that. It made it more real and ... I knew what I had to do'.

'You're going to turn aren't you?' he asked plainly. She returned her attention to the water and nodded.

'I'm all he's got, Damon. I can't leave him alone' she sighed. Damon bowed his head for a moment.

'You should really be thinking about yourself', he growled, 'You don't know what you're letting yourself in for.' .

'If you knew me well enough to follow me out here Damon then I'm sure you know me well enough to know that I'm not going to change my mind' she smiled but it did not reach her eyes. 'Besides, I thought you of all people would be pleased.' He gave a huff of rough laughter that sounded like sandpaper in his throat.

'I tried to force you into it once before remember, before the sacrifice? And I don't think I've ever been sorrier for anything else I've ever done', he admitted. 'I wouldn't wish this on you. I promised myself that I wouldn't be that selfish again.' She nodded slowly as he spoke then gradually she turned to face him, taking a deep breath. Damon could hear her heart pounding like a rabbit's.

'Damon, about before', she began quietly, 'About that phone call...'

'No way', he smirked, cutting her off, 'there is no way I'm revisiting that'. A look of distress crossed her face and she grabbed his sleeve, pulling him up from the barrier to face her.

'No, please let me apologise. I'm sorry Damon, I'm so sorry. You have no idea how glad I was to see you when I woke up. I thought ... I thought I'd never see you again'.

'Yet here we are with you freezing to death in the woods in the middle of the night. Isn't life funny?' he raised his eyebrows. There was no way he wanted to get into this now. He was revelling in the fact that he was getting to share these utterly precious moments alone with her - and he couldn't deny that he felt an element of satisfaction that he had guessed her whereabouts correctly when Stefan hadn't - but he knew that if they talked about it too much then all of this would collapse and he would be thrown back into torment and regret. Instead he moved to take off his leather jacket.

'It hardly matters now does it', Elena shrugged but before she could protest any further Damon's jacket was wrapped snuggly around her shoulders. The leather was old and softened and it smelled so like him, forcing her head into a whole new world of confusion.

'Oh Damon', she breathed, tears pricking her eyes again. She wondered how he could be so kind to her. Why could she not stop herself from torturing him? A wave of light headedness overtook her and she leaned heavily against the barrier again, pulling his jacket tight about her and hoping that he didn't notice her discomposure. He smiled sadly and moved behind her, rubbing her arms to enhance the warmth of the jacket. He couldn't quite look her in the eye right now or he might come undone too.

'How did you know?' she asked at length.

'Know what?'

'That I would be here', she continued, closing her eyes against a cloying sickness that was suddenly growing in the pit of her stomach.

'Well we all knew that the most important thing to you was your family ... I already knew you were going to turn to keep Jeremy from being alone so I just asked myself where you would feel near family but not be able to hurt anyone. Et voila', he finished wryly.

'And the others didn't listen to you?'

'No. Little brother was sure you were on your way home', he smiled, feeling absurdly pleased with himself. Elena could sense as much and, in spite of herself, it made her laugh. But the laugh hitched in her throat as she realised that breathing was getting difficult.

'I wish I could explain to you how I feel Damon, tell you how much I care about you. When I had to call you...' she trailed off. But Damon tightened his arms around her, sliding his hands across her arms and trailing them across her stomach until he was hugging her tightly from behind. Her eyes closed involuntarily and in her fractured state of mind he felt solid and real and she had never been so grateful for anything in her whole life. She felt like she was drowning and he was the only thing keeping her afloat. Without realising she covered his hands with her own and pulled him as close as possible.

'Thank you for being here tonight', she sniffed, tears starting to fall. 'Everything in my life seems to lead back to this place. All the evil in the world could be concentrated in this water as far as I'm concerned. I might as well let this happen here too', she sobbed. The sickness was getting worse and she started to feel all the strength leave her legs, her body shaking uncontrollably. She was so glad that Damon was supporting her or she was sure that she would have fallen to the ground.

It was starting but she didn't want to admit it, not yet, she wanted a few more moments. A few more moments of life. A few more minutes as herself. She refused to acknowledge the weakening of her body or the thick, metallic smell that was starting to permeate the air around her. It smelled so good and the thirst that was growling deep within her was responding to it with an alarming force. But she could hold on just a little longer.

'Thirsty', she hissed without meaning to as a particularly strong pang burst through her.

'I know' replied Damon, his grip on her tightening. His eyes burning as he fought the anger and horror that was throbbing within him.

'What's that smell?' she asked desperately, her breath now coming in ragged gulps. 'It smells so good, what is it? It's making me so _thirsty_!' Suddenly she knew that the smell was what she needed. What was it? She had to get to it, had to have it. Damon's arms were no longer warm and comforting, they were a prison, keeping her from getting what she so desperately needed.

'It's the blood', Damon replied brokenly, 'It's the blood in the container, you're body's starting to crave it', he told her. Elena swiftly turned to the carrier that she had all but forgotten was there. All thoughts were pushed out of her head as she felt her whole body pulse in the direction of the blood, it was all she could think about. She had to have it right away. All at once a red mist descended over her eyes and everything else around about her ceased to matter.

In a swift and unexpected movement she pushed Damon violently away from her, his jacket falling uselessly to the ground. Her weak legs collapsed under her and her knees hit the dusty road. Gasping like a hungry animal she crawled frantically towards the medical carrier intent on reaching what she needed. Her own blood was thundering through her veins and it seemed to chant encouragingly in her ears. She scrambled to the carrier on her hands and knees and was just about to wrench the lid open when Damon was on her again.

She let out a wild, animalistic shriek as he wrestled her away from the blood. She kicked and thrashed her arms, desperately trying to free herself from him but he held her tight. He dragged himself into a sitting position against the bridge barrier and pulled her back flush against his body, his legs framing her own and pinning them to the ground to keep her from kicking. She managed to rake her nails down his face before he caught her hands and held them still across her body. He held her crushed against him in a cruel parody of their previous embrace.

'No!' she yelled, struggling and sobbing viciously 'I need it, I need it! You have to let me go, I need it!' she screamed, her face red with exertion and tears streaming down her face.

'I know', replied Damon in a shaky voice, completely unsettled by her violent outburst, 'I know', he shouted, finally getting her attention. She stopped struggling for a moment and gasped for breath between her sobs. 'But start as you mean to go on', Damon told her firmly, 'In control'. She twisted her head around to look at him for a long moment and then exerting every last ounce of her will power she nodded. Once he was satisfied that she was in control of herself, he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then he reached for the carrier and removed the first blood bag.

She could not stop herself from lurching towards it, the all-consuming lust in her eyes momentarily taking her over but Damon kept a tight hold until she managed to regain her composure. Holding the bag he looked deep into her human eyes, that last time he would ever be able to do so. She seemed to redeem herself from the crazed thirst for just a minute, long enough for a moment of understanding to pass between them. This was it, the moment had come. Damon nodded then he ripped open the blood bag and held it to her lips.

Her first instinct was to tear into the plastic and take huge choking gulps of the blood which was already the most incredible thing that she had ever tasted. She couldn't imagine ever having enough of it. It was like ingesting life itself back into her weak and shaking body. She had never felt anything so good, so vital. How was it possible to feel this alive when her body was dying? However, Damon wouldn't let her gulp. He kept the bag only just within reach of her lips, holding it so that only a measured trickle could leak into her mouth. The frustration was enough to drive her crazy but somehow she managed it. When the first bag was empty, he tossed the plastic away and looked at Elena's bloodstained lips. In spite of himself Damon had to admit that it was the most erotic thing he had ever seen. She looked at him with wild eyes, incapable of rational though, crazed and desperate for more.

'Control, remember?' he asked. Elena convulsed slightly squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. After what seemed like an age she opened them again and lifted her eyes to his. She nodded and settled back against his chest, her trust in him implicit. He felt his heart ache at her belief in him and together they reached for another bag.


	4. Chapter 4

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 4**

Sorry this has taken a little while to get up. I do have this planned through to the end but I was seriously toying with the idea of abandoning it as I didn't know if many people were really interested. I would, however, like to thank 'Old Victorian Quill' for your very sweet review which gave me a little burst of inspiration to continue for the time being. Thank you! Anyway, for now here's chapter 4.

Elena had felt her body dying, felt her breathing labour, her legs give way and her pounding heart grow slower and slower. Her mind quickly grew dimmer until only a pinprick of consciousness was left. Blood. It was her only thought. There was no room for anything else. For an infinite moment her whole being was made up of nothing but her need, her completely unchallenged lust for the red fluid that smelled so tantalisingly of life. If anyone had chanced to come within a mile of her at that point she would not have known if they were male, female, young, old, her friend, brother or lover. They would have been dead before their body hit the ground, every last drop of life drained from them. Elena's whole existence was her thirst. And then she was drinking. Agonizingly slowly the blood dripped down her throat and gradually the focus of her awareness began to widen. Above the raging thirst and the exquisite satisfaction that came with the blood she heard a voice.

Damon.

She was no longer alone and trapped in this shadowy in-between world. She latched onto his voice and tried to use it to remember. She remembered his name, now she just had to remember her own. And increasingly she did. Her mind began to awaken as if it had been asleep for a long time. She felt a raw energy coil in her stomach and begin pulsing through her whole body. It was strong and powerful and she felt it spread right to the tips of her fingers making her feel like she was capable of anything. As her new body flourished she once more became aware of her surroundings and felt a tingle so much stronger than it had ever felt before when she realised that she was cradled in Damon's arms. He stroked her hair and muttered soothingly in her ear while he slowly squeezed the blood from each bag between her hungry lips. She felt the soft, reassuring brush of his shirt against her cheek and slowly tilted her face to look at him. She wanted to tell him that the worst was over, that she was feeling strong again and would soon be back on her feet. She wanted to thank him for being there tonight, for knowing exactly what do and for all the other things he did that made her rollercoaster life feel worthwhile.

She tried to smile at him when all of a sudden a sharp, stabbing pain tore through her and her whole body became rigid. It ran the length of her spine, wrapped round her throat and spread up through her skull. It was the most intense pain that she had ever felt. Her eyes felt swollen and hot and all of a sudden she knew that the skin around them would be rippling and criss-crossed with angry, livid red veins. She turned her huge, shocked eyes to Damon and he nodded quietly. The look of sad understanding in his eyes unhinged her. She knew it meant that there was nothing he could do to stop this pain. He recognised it. He grabbed the last bloodbag and this time he let her gulp at it. He couldn't bear to draw this agony out any longer. Her hand clawed over his in an iron grip and the last gulp that emptied the bag was enough to push her over the edge. The pain swelled to an excruciating peak and then centred slowly around her mouth. With a screech of pain and horror she felt a terrifying wrench as her fangs burst through her gums, filling he mouth once more with blood and her transition was complete.

The last surge of pain bolted Elena to her feet and she burst from Damon's grip. All of a sudden she was standing in the middle of the bridge, her whole body humming. She could feel her fangs and her blood heavy cheeks intensely but she could also feel everything else. Looking around her she could hear the tiniest rustle of leaves as some little creature took flight from the danger it sensed. The water below them was a roar, now almost deafening to her and the night air hung heavy with scents that she could not right away identify - her sense of smell had never been sharp enough to recognise them before. And she could see. She could see like she had never been able to see before. The moonlight was as good as the sun to her now as she glanced up into the trees. She was morbidly delighted to find that she could clearly see the birds roosting in the uppermost branches. She could feel their little flutter of life and it gave her a shameful thrill.

Her body was completely new. She raised a hand in front of her in an attempt to get reacquainted with it and realised that everything moved so much more quickly now. After a moment of testing all her limbs she had grown more accustomed to it and she grinned. With a laugh she looked along the road into the night and after a moment's hesitation she began to run. Relishing the feel of the wind rushing past her, Elena felt reborn. She felt powerful and strong now where she had always felt weak before. The thought of her pathetic attempts at training made her laugh now. She could never have competed with this. 'Training?' she thought suddenly as the first clear memory of her old life blazed its way into her consciousness. Her step faltered a little as this dawned on her and then suddenly she realised that there was someone in the road in front of her. Her new reactions brought her to a halt a fraction of an inch from him, avoiding the collision that would have occurred in her old body. She looked up into his eyes and recognition surged through her.

'Damon!' she gasped. He took a hold of her shoulders and gave her a wry smile, his eyes full of sympathy.

'I'd hold on if I were you', he sighed. Then suddenly everything came back to Elena, the bridge, Damon's jacket on her shoulders, the hospital and then the black, black water. Her knees buckled beneath her but Damon held her tightly.

'Damon ... what is this ...?' she managed to pant before more memories flooded into her brain. Her whole life flashed before her eyes. Everything from Jenna's fear filled face as she dropped to the forest floor, to Matt taking her on her first date, to the song her mother used to sing when she was baking in the kitchen. Little snippets of her old life pulled together and knitted themselves into this new existence that she had just begun, she remembered it all so clearly but it all felt so long ago. Memories kept tumbling one over the other into her head. She remembered lying in Stefan's arms the first time that they made love, sitting around the Christmas tree with Jeremy and her parents … and Damon. She remembered Damon so clearly that all she could do was gaze into his eyes as he rubbed small soothing circles with his thumbs on her shoulders. She remembered them arguing over pickles in a bar in Georgia, how gently he had dabbed her head wound with antiseptic while she sat forlornly on a cold porcelain sink fighting down a stab of jealousy and she remembered their kiss that hot night in Denver. As that memory forced its way into her head she felt her hands rising to claps his shoulders.

'It's all right', he told her gruffly, 'You're almost there'. Already she could feel the two parts of herself coming to equilibrium. She squeezed her eyes shut and with a surge of relief actually felt something like herself again. The fangs receded and she felt the skin on her face smooth back into its usual olive complexion. It was comforting to feel her familiar identity realign itself and she made sense to herself again. She allowed a smile to creep over her face and she collapsed forward with a laugh, leaning her head on Damon's chest and fisting her hands in his sweater. His arms wound around her and he held her for a moment as she relished the feeling of just being at peace and being herself. Slowly, however, she realised how close she was to him. The forest was achingly quiet and she drank in his tousled hair and endless blue eyes. She was so full of gratitude for what he had just done for her that she didn't know how she would ever repay him. The memory of their last kiss still burned in her memory and without realising it she moved closer to him, the feel of his body against her familiar and delicious. Yet somehow, as she found her lips straining up towards his, he looked unsure. Something in the back of her mind niggled at her but she couldn't immediately place it and she was not inclined to give it any more thought at the moment. But it remained buzzing around the edge of her consciousness like a fly on a window pane.

'Elena', he breathed raggedly, as he buried his hands in her hair. He held her still so that she couldn't close the distance between their lips and rested his forehead on hers. Elena could feel every inch of her skin tingle at his touch and her eyes closed of their own accord. 'You've been through so much tonight.'

'And you were with me through every minute of it' she whispered and he smiled at her. It was a proper smile, the kind that he guarded so carefully and Elena got an odd empty feeling as she realised that this was point at which her heart should be pounding and now it would never beat again. He ran a hand down her cheek making her stomach flip and leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on her forehead.

And that was when it happened. When his lips touched her skin it was like a jolt of electricity to the brain and suddenly it was like a fog that she hadn't even been aware of cleared from a part of her mind. The niggling feeling that she had been feeling surgeg forward from beyond the dissipating mist and everything became very clear. Another kiss on another night, just like this with him gently holding her arms and dropping his face to her forehead and a tear sliding down his cheek. Then he was placing her necklace back around her neck before leaving as fast as he could. But his words were now burned into her consciousness. 'I love you Elena'.

As if she had been burned she pushed him away and looked at him in disbelief but before she could say a word, she felt the same sensation pass over her again and she suddenly she remembered him standing on a road just like this, another moonlit night when the air was balmy and deliciously humid. 'I know what you want' he had told her.

'What's happening?' she gasped, 'What am I …' Damon looked at her wide eyed with shock. He didn't know what to do or how to help her. As Elena lived through each one of these memories as if it was the first time, it suddenly became clear to her. She knew why these memories seemed new to her and she was furious.

'Elena? What's wrong?' he begged, 'Do you want…?' But she didn't let him finish.

'Do I want passion, adventure, maybe even a little danger?' she spat at him, her eyes blazing. She didn't know whether she was more shocked or angry, she couldn't believe that she had never suspected this. Damon looked at her in complete confusion for a second then she saw the pieces fall into place behind his eyes.

'Uh oh'.

'Uh oh? Uh oh?' Elena cried, 'Damon, you compelled me?' Damon moved towards her raising his hands in a gesture of surrender.

'Ok, I know you're upset …'

'Upset? Of course I'm upset. You compelled me Damon, you played with my mind without me knowing, how could you? What else did you compel me to forget? How many times have you done this?' she pulled away from him.

'Just twice', he answered quickly.

'The night in the woods and the night you brought my necklace back?' she asked warily.

'Yes' he nodded emphatically, 'Although I might have messed with your dreams once too', he finished with a guilty look that Elena would have found adorable if she hadn't been so angry.

'Damon!' she screeched, 'You mean a few weeks ago, before we went to Denver?'

'What?' answered Damon, baffled, 'No, it was just once a long time ago, not long after we met'. Elena abruptly drew back.

'Wait, you had a dream about me a couple of weeks ago?' he couldn't help a smirk playing across his lips.

'No! … I mean … that's not the point', Elena stuttered. He took advantage of her embarrassed befuddlement to slide closer to her again.

'Was it hot?' he grinned. Elena gave a frustrated growl and thumped him hard on the shoulder.

'You compelled me Damon!' she cried. Damon rubbed his arm where she struck him.

'That used to hurt less', he grimaced. Elena ran a hand through her hair in exasperation and turned away from him. 'Ok', Damon conceded running in front of her to stop her from walking away. 'I'm sorry. It was a long time ago. The first time was before I really knew you and I just didn't want Stefan to know that I was back in Mystic Falls yet and the other time … well that was me being selfish. I just had to tell you how I felt even though you didn't feel the same way. I just had to say it out loud so that I knew that what I was feeling was real. No harm, no foul, I get to unburden myself and then you could run back to Stefan guilt free' he finished bitterly. She stopped pulling away and looked at him hard.

'You've told me that plenty of times since', she pointed out huffily. He let the tension go from his body and looked at the ground.

'Things changed', he replied, 'You didn't want to hear it then. I thought the time had come when you wanted me to say it.' Elena stared at him a moment longer and he finally raised his eyes to her. There was no real harm in what he had covered up, nothing that shocked her or that she wouldn't have expected from him. Her head hurt now and she couldn't bear to think about it anymore. She cast a look to the moon which seemed so much further across the night sky now than it had before.

'Look'; she began, 'I really don't want to argue about this right now. But you can't play with people's heads Damon.' Damon's face hardened slightly.

'You mean unless you ask me to?' he growled. _Touche_ thought Elena, knowing that he was referring to Jeremy. She also felt the niggling memory of their trip to Denver spring up in her mind and she realised that you didn't need to be capable of compulsion to play with people's heads. She hung her head in defeat. Her initial burst of energy had drained somewhat and she felt tired with a residual thirst still burning at the back of her throat.

'I don't want to fight Damon', she sighed. 'Maybe we should just get back to the boarding house. The others will be worried'. Damon nodded curtly.

'Follow me,' he replied stonily before taking off a vampire speed into the trees. Elena only looked after him for a second before she followed him.

The speed at which they reached the boarding house was astonishing to her but Damon didn't even stop to speak to her when they reached the doorstep. She had wanted to make things right with him before they went inside but he didn't wait. Before she knew it she was walking through the door, already able to hear the anxious conversation in the main living room and then everything became silent when they heard her enter.

Stefan, Caroline and Jeremy all jumped to their feet when they saw her. Without thinking Jeremy started to run to her. She smelled his blood immediately and without warning her thirst flared and she felt herself lunging towards him. Before she could take a step Damon was in front of her and Stefan had reached forward and thrust Jeremy behind himself and Caroline. Elena's hand flew to her mouth as she realised that her eyes had changed and her fangs had burst forward but she was able to fight down the raging thirst. Jeremy had tears in his eyes.

'Jer … Jer I'm sorry', she began, her face crumpling. She pushed past Damon who moved to stop her at first and then drew back to lean against the fireplace. Elena reached out and grabbed her brother's hands, not certain enough of herself yet to get any closer. 'Are you all right?'

'Me? What about you? Elena how did this happen? I just can't …' he trailed off looking utterly lost.

'It's all right Jeremy. Just think, nobody can hurt me now.'

'This isn't what you wanted. This is for ever Elena', he shook his head sadly.

'Exactly', she told him firmly, 'So I'll never leave you. As soon as I have a little while to get used to … this … I'll be just like I always was'.

'Yeah, you're never going to change now. That's not what I ever wanted for you', he said letting her hands go and looking at her with tear filled eyes. Elena looked stricken and Damon shifted uncomfortably, angered that Jeremy wasn't more grateful for what she had done for him.

'Ok', said Caroline, stepping in calmly. 'It's been a long night and I think everyone is tired. Maybe we should all just get some sleep and revisit things in the morning since we now know that everyone is all right …' she trailed off suddenly, her voice hitching. It was only then that Elena looked at her friend and noticed her red puffy eyes and tear streaked face and she remembered Tyler. Elena mentally berated herself. How could she be so selfish?

'Oh Caroline, I'm … I'm so sorry', and then suddenly her arms were around her friend and she was sobbing into her shoulder. Elena squeezed Caroline and rubbed her back, knowing that there was nothing that she could say to comfort her right now. Again she glanced at Stefan and Damon and thanked her lucky stars that they were still here. She didn't know why, but she was so grateful.

'No, I'm sorry', said Caroline, pulling back, 'Tonight can't have been too easy for you. I remember it well. You seem to be coping great'.

'Well, I had some help', Elena replied, with a shy glance at Damon but his face was unreadable. Caroline forced a laugh.

'I guess now we really are BFFs'. Elena couldn't help but laugh too and pulled her friend into another hug.

'Well maybe Caroline's right', Stefan cut in, 'Maybe we could all do with some sleep.' By contrast, his face was entirely readable. It was distraught and she knew that he hadn't taken his eyes off of her since she had entered the room. She felt uncomfortable under his needy, guilty eyes.

'Good idea', Elena agreed, she was beyond tired now and there was a dull ache at the back of her head. 'Can you stay Jeremy?' she asked hopefully. Jeremy nodded slowly but Damon piped up from the back of the room.

'I don't think that would be wise. You wouldn't want to wind up as a midnight snack by accident', he raised an eyebrow. Jeremy looked distressed.

'Jeremy don't worry', Elena assured him, 'It's just that it's all so new that it I'm not used to controlling it yet. I'll be on top of it soon, I promise. But as much as I hate to admit it', she glanced balefully at Damon, 'he's probably right. It would be safer if you stayed at home right now'. Jeremy nodded dejectedly.

'This is just for a little while Jeremy', Elena assured him quickly, 'After a few weeks I'll back to normal'. Then clamping her throat closed and exerting as much willpower as she possibly could she lurched forward and hugged her brother tightly. The thirst whipped and burned at her throat and she felt the veins beneath her eyes bubble slightly but she forced it down and held on for a moment before pulling away. Only when she did so did she notice that everyone in the room had been holding their breath, even those who didn't need to breathe. Jeremy just gave her indulgent nod as if she was a small child. He didn't believe her but she would show him. She could make this all work, she knew she could.

'I'll look after him', Caroline assured her, giving her another hug. Elena sighed at how much easier this one was. 'We'll see you tomorrow, ok?' she asked. Elena nodded.

'I'll see you tomorrow Jer' she told him, grabbing his hand one last time. At last Elena's optimism reached her brother, or at least amused him and he gave her a proper smile.

'All right', he agreed, 'Sleep well'. She smiled with relief that he appeared to be coming around and watched until Caroline had led him from the room.

Then all optimism deserted her as she was left face to face with Stefan.

'Elena', he began, looking her up and down, 'I'm … I'm …I'm just so sorry'. She nodded and moved into his arms, but it was a perfunctory gesture. When she looked at him all she could see was him leaving her to die. And the guilt in his face just reminded her of it and made her angry.

'Stefan', she began in a measured voice, 'Can we … can we just do this in the morning. I really want to sleep now'. Stefan nodded and pulled back.

'Of course, I'll just go and make sure that the blood is locked up and then we'll go to bed'. As he left the room she realised that the 'we' in his sentence had made her stomach squirm uncomfortably. She tried to shake it off when she suddenly became aware of Damon's intense gaze upon her. She met his eyes briefly and it was enough to break the spell. He swiftly turned his head and moved to leave the room without a word but suddenly she was in front of him, barring his way. He stopped in surprise and begrudgingly admitted to himself that he quite liked that she could sneak up on him now.

'Damon', she began, 'I don't want to go to bed angry. So whatever else happened, just … just know that I am so glad that it was you who was with me tonight'. His eyes widened for a moment and he felt himself thaw. As always, just when he was pushed away she would draw him right back in. But he couldn't help it. He was like a moth to a flame. She looked so small and fragile and exhausted that he just wanted to wrap her in his arms and keep her safe forever. Before he could reply, however, Stefan's voice came from behind them.

'Elena, are you ready?' Maybe it was just wistful thinking but Damon was sure that he saw a shadow pass over her face at the sound of his voice. But she nodded her assent and turned and took his hand. Halfway up the stairs, however, she turned and looked back down. She was relieved to find that he was still watching her. He gave her a small nod of understanding and a hint of a smirk. She felt relief wash over her that they weren't at loggerheads anymore, then they turned the corner of the stairs and he was gone.

Stefan tried once more to talk to her before they went to bed but she couldn't stand any more arguments tonight and he agreed that they would talk in the morning. Soon after that he was lying facing away from her while she lay staring at the ceiling. For all her protestations about being tired, sleep completely eluded her. She glanced at Stefan's back for what felt like the thousandth time and was fairly sure that he wasn't really asleep. Faking it so that she didn't feel like she needed to talk to him she mused, or maybe he was just as eager to keep postponing their talk as she was.

Eventually she couldn't take it any longer. She quietly got up and crept from the room. She padded down the stairs in her pyjamas, her bare feet not making a sound on the carpet. She didn't know where she was going; she just knew that she couldn't lie tossing and turning in bed anymore. In times like this at home she would have written in her diary but she didn't have it here. Her diary, she thought with a wry laugh. She was going to need a pretty thick notebook for that now. Idly she wandered around the edges of the dark living room, poking aimlessly at the knick knacks on the dressers and looking at the paintings. They were mostly portraits of imposing male figures, then there was a still life or two and a family group. She heaved a sigh as she looked at the chubby cheeked children in the painting. She wouldn't have that for herself she thought grimly. She gritted her teeth as the initial optimism of having physically survived the transition gave way to the realities that she now had to face. Quickly she moved on trying to push those thoughts from her head before tears started again and she came to a dresser with some books resting on top. Maybe she could read for a while until sleep came. She briefly remembered seeing a battered old copy of Gone with the Wind in Damon's room a long time ago and felt an unavoidable tenderness. She remembered another time in his room. He had been sick with fever following a werewolf bite, hair glued to his forehead by sweat and only minutes from death and it had still been the first time she had willingly kissed him. As she ran her hand along the spines of the books she remembered that first chaste peck and found herself smiling.

Her smile only lasted a moment though as suddenly that dull ache at the back of her head sent out a crippling stab that rippled through her head. It felt like her brain was expanding too much for her skull and suddenly there was the familiar feeling of fog clearing as another memory surfaced in her mind. This time however, it was very different. The dark room suddenly changed around her and the lamps began to glow. It was as if reality had shifted and she was caught living the new memory that had just risen unbidden in her mind. Was this a vision? A hallucination? Elena was frightened but suddenly she felt herself grabbed by strong hands and pressed up against the dresser, the books strewn all over the floor. All at once a dark face was only inches from hers – it was Damon. He loomed over her, leaning her backwards as he drew his tongue across her neck feverishly and continued down towards her breasts, covering her with soft wet kisses. His shirt had been torn open and her hands were already raking over his chest.

Elena already felt her body screaming for him but with a surge of panic she realised that she wasn't in control of it. She couldn't do anything but watch and feel every one of his almost violent caresses in their full intensity. There was a confusing babble of voices in her head as if there were two streams of consciousness. There was her own bewildered confusion which desperately wanted to know why this was happening but it was slowly drowning in the exquisite pleasure that Damon with slowly building in her. Then there was another voice that felt only cold triumph. It was unsurprised and idly pleased that Damon was giving in to her so easily. Strangely, it almost felt bored. All of a sudden though Elena's attention was ripped away from the other voice as Damon ground his hips roughly into her and tore the last of her top away, running a hand over the black lace of her bra. The question of whether she actually possessed a bra that looked like this flitted through her head for a split second then was gone as Damon balanced her on the edge of the dresser and forced her leg up around his hip. His tongue retraced its course back up her neck, lingering at her ear as he ground his hips into her again causing her to toss her head back in pleasure. Just as Elena felt like her every nerve ending was on fire and that she would die if she wasn't able to bury her hands in his hair and wrap her legs around his back, he pulled away with a slight gasp.

'Wait', he breathed huskily, his face still pressed reassuringly against hers. Elena instantly felt like a she had been drenched with a bucket of cold water and before she could find out what he intended to say, everything dissolved around her and she was once more in her pyjamas in the dark living room. She was gripping the edge of the dresser so hard that her knuckles had turned white and her whole body was trembling in arousal. The sudden loss of Damon's weight and electrifying touch was a wrench that she was not prepared for and she staggered back from the dresser with a frustrated scream of confusion.

Immediately there came the sounds of doors banging up above her and in a matter of seconds both Stefan and Damon skidded into the room from the bottom of the staircase. They looked alarmed but neither of them looked like they had just been awoken. Elena looked at them with wild, frightened eyes and grasped the back of the couch to reassure herself that things around her were real and tangible again. Her voice came out in a shrill she demanded,

'What the hell was that!'


	5. Chapter 5

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 5**

Well I got on a roll last night and was spurred on by some lovely reviews which really gave me a kick to keep going so thank you very much indeed for those, it means a lot to me. So without further ado, here's chapter 5. Once again I don't own anything and this is just for fun.

Damon and Stefan glanced around the room expecting a surprise attack at any moment but all was still, not even the dust had been unsettled. They finally returned to staring dumbfounded at Elena. There was a sheen of sweat across her body that made her skin glisten, her hair was wildly tousled and her breasts rose and fell violently as she gulped for air that her body no longer needed. The pyjamas she was wearing were very small and Damon swallowed hard as he took in her long beautiful legs. He felt an ache as an erection stirred and strained at the jeans he was still wearing. Then he smelled her. The sweet scent of her arousal reached him and the ache at once became an agony. He wished for the thousandth time that he didn't want her, love her, need her this much but it was useless. The only heaven that he could imagine was contained entirely in her arms.

Stefan cleared his throat, searching for the correct words and Damon knew that he had smelled it too.

'Elena, what's wrong? What happened?' he asked uncertainly, seemingly afraid to approach her. His voice cutting through the thick silence brought Damon back to his senses and he turned away from the sight of the dishevelled Elena. What had she been doing down here all alone that had left her in such a state and what had brought that scream to her lips? Had it even been a scream of fear? This thought sent a fresh burst of lust through him and he tried to abandon the thought and mentally pull himself together. He had to put some space between them and move away from the plain, wonderful smell of her. Carefully he moved to switch on a lamp, realised that it was not so strong in this corner and he felt his shoulders relax a little.

The sudden burst of light that flooded the room seemed to restore some sort of normalcy to the room. Elena's head snapped frantically between them for a moment and then she sagged against the couch and ran a hand through her messy hair. Her throat was burning with thirst more noticeably now and she tried to push it to the back of her mind. Stefan was at her side in a moment and his arm slid around her shoulders.

'Hey', he tried to soother her, 'Come on, sit down'. He led her around to the front of the couch and eased her into a sitting position. He sat next to her, his arm never leaving her shoulders. Damon cocked his head and noted that she had made no move to return his embrace. Stefan raised his eyes to Damon silently questioning him and Damon gave an almost imperceptible shrug. On this occasion he was as clueless as his brother was.

'Elena?' Stefan tried again, 'Elena, what happened?' All of a sudden Elena whipped her head up but she didn't even appear to notice Stefan. Her eyes were pointed directly at Damon. Normally Damon was well aware of what he had done to warrant that look but tonight he was at a loss. He thought they had parted on good terms in the end before she tripped off up the stairs to go to bed with his brother. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously and he felt himself squirm a little.

'Elena?' he finally had to break the frightening hold of her eyes, 'Are you going to tell us what happened or is this going to turn into a game of charades?'

'Damon,' snapped Stefan, then he returned his attention to Elena, running his hand comfortingly over her hair and finally she averted her eyes from Damon. Feeling perturbed and a little slighted, Damon headed for the scotch bottle in the nearby cabinet.

'I'm sorry', Elena at last spoke, choking down the aching thirst and inclining her head towards Stefan. Now that they were both here and the room was lit, the memory that had invaded Elena's consciousness seemed so distant that she started to wonder if she had imagined it.

'It's all right', Stefan told her gently, 'What happened? Did you have a dream?' Elena looked at him sharply.

'No ... I mean I don't think so ...' she trailed off. She had never had a dream so vivid before. No, it hadn't felt like a dream.

'Then what?' Stefan pressed. Elena glanced at Damon again who was holding a crystal tumbler of scotch now and staring at her intently. She felt a wave of warmth ripple through her as she met his eyes, remembering how his lips had felt on her skin. It had been so real. Suddenly uncomfortable she tore her eyes away and turned to Stefan.

'Did you ever have ... visions. You know, after you turned?' Stefan exchanged a worried glance with Damon.

'Visions?' he repeated, 'What kind of visions?'

'Visions,' she stressed, 'Seeing things that aren't there for a moment as if it is actually happening before things go back to normal?' She could tell from the worry in his face that not only was this not a common occurrence but that she also sounded crazy.

'No,' Stefan slowly replied, 'It's not something Iive ever heard of. Even for a vampire, seeing things usually isn't a good sign'. She felt her stomach drop. She had really hoped that it had been a vision, perhaps a leftover projection of her human guilt for leaving Damon to die alone but no. She had to acknowledge the sensation of it emerging from her subconscious as if it had always been there, just hidden away. Surely Damon would not do this to her.

'This vision,' Damon's voice suddenly came from across the room where he still stood, scotch bottle in hand. 'What did you see?' For the first time since her transition Elena was glad she was dead because if she had been alive her face would have been crimson with embarrassment. Her expression was enough for Damon though. Between her face and the state she had been in when they found her, he felt that he could make a rather good guess about the content of her hallucinations and he gripped the scotch bottle almost hard enough for it to smash and spill its contents all over the rug.

'Yes', Stefan encouraged her, 'What was it?' Elena turned to him with horror in her eyes. How could she ever say this? She opened her mouth and the beginnings of several different sentences raced through her head but she couldn't complete any of them. Thirst rasped angrily at the back of her throat making it even harder to think. She glanced desperately at Damon but he simply looked at her expectantly and she was sure that there was a glint of amusement in his eyes. He knew. Damn him, she thought, he was behind this. Finally all that came out of her mouth was a groan and her head collapsed back into her hands.

'You know, I think maybe it was just a dream', she croaked unconvincingly. 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry to cause all this fuss in the middle of the night.'

'It's all right, you've been through a lot', Stefan pulled her into his arms. Damon felt a stab of jealousy as she let him embrace her and turned to pour another glass of scotch.

'Maybe we should just go back upstairs. Can I get you anything first?' he asked her, looking lovingly into her eyes. The look that Elena had once loved to see now seemed to be tinged with such desperation and instead of wanting to pull him close it made her want to back away. She knew he was sorry, she knew that he would spend his whole life making it up to her but she felt like something fundamental inside her had changed. He looked so different to her now. As her confusion swirled around her head the thirst that had been clawing at her throat finally became too much for her. She slowly raised her eyes to Stefan and felt an abject and overwhelming swell of shame as she asked in a tiny voice,

'Could I have some blood?'

Immediately Stefan's face changed and he became wary. She could tell that he didn't know what to do and he looked towards Damon. She felt a stab of irritation with him. In his guilt he didn't want to deny her anything. He was too cowardly to refuse her, he was leaving it up to Damon to do the right thing by her once again.

'Elena, I don't know ...' Stefan began brokenly but Damon's voice rang out clear and sure, cutting him off.

'No,' he said plainly, 'You had a lot when you turned Elena, you should really try to pace yourself now. Get used to denying yourself. It's the only way you'll learn to control the cravings. Isn't that what you want?' he cast a slightly withering look at Stefan, 'To be in control?' She looked at him and felt a surge of anger. She knew that he was right but his paternalistic tone was infuriating. Her thirst was getting so strong that all she wanted was blood. Stefan felt her body stiffen and feared the worst.

'He is right', he tried to calm her and Elena looked at him again. 'Would you like me to make you some coffee instead?' he asked, just as Damon suddenly appeared in front of her holding out a glass of scotch. Elena looked between the two and felt the tension rise.

'Coffee isn't going to do anything to help her cravings', he barked at Stefan dismissively. 'This will at least take the edge off them', he assured Elena. She looked at him in disbelief. He was trying to help her now after being the cause of this mess? She was so angry with him that she felt her hands curl into fists.

'Great idea, Damon. So she just replaces one addiction for the other?' Stefan snapped.

'Well she's not drinking the scotch straight from someone's veins', he retorted.

'It's hardly control, is it?' Stefan bristled.

'And your suggestion is? All your safe little tricks, denying who you really are and hiding from it so that you don't know it, don't know what you're capable of', he shouted. All of a sudden Stefan was on his feet. And Elena knew that things would boil over into violence within seconds. Before either brother had a chance to continue she was in between them and calling for them to stop. Immediately they both took a step back and Elena ran a hand through her hair in exasperation. The brothers still eyed each other with contempt and Damon slammed the tumbler onto the table and stalked back towards the fire place. Elena's eyes followed him angrily.

'You know what?' she suddenly piped up, turning to Stefan with a shy smile, 'I would love some coffee'. Stefan's face flooded with relief and he nodded.

'No problem, I'll get you one', he told her and with a reassuring squeeze of her arm he headed off to the kitchen. From where he was leaning on the mantelpiece, staring bitterly at the wall Damon gave a snort of derisive laughter. Of course she chose Stefan's suggestion. It would always be Stefan wouldn't it? The thought was cut off in his head however when he suddenly felt her hand on his arm before she spun him to face her. Before he could say anything her hand had lashed out and slapped him across the face. He could only gawk at her with huge eyes, paralysed by shock.

'I can't believe you! You lied to me', she hissed with a fury that only rooted him even more securely to the spot. She spoke intensely and quietly trying to stay below Stefan's level of hearing. 'You promised that you had only compelled me those two times. How could you lie to me like that!' her eyes were now shining with tears as her anger melted into betrayal. Finally Damon regained control of himself.

'What the hell are you talking about?' he demanded, matching her voice.

'How many times did you really compel me?' she grabbed hold of his shirt to stop him avoiding the question.

'I already told you', he growled back, swatting her hand away, 'Twice. I told you everything!'

'Oh really?'

'Yes!' he replied, his voice rising dangerously.

'Then why do I suddenly seem to remember things about you that I didn't before! You must have compelled me Damon, there's no other explanation for that memory!' she shouted, all pretence of silence gone.

'You compelled her?' a thin voice suddenly interrupted. They both whirled round to see Stefan standing in the doorway, a mug of coffee in his hand. It was her mug she noted sadly, the one she always used when she stayed here. They both looked at him guiltily as he slowly moved to set the mug on the table next to the scotch tumbler.

'Look, it's not what you think', Damon began but Stefan was already across the room and slammed his brother into the wall. Damon retaliated viciously swinging his brother away and sending him crashing into the mantelpiece. Before Elena could say anything, Stefan had tackled Damon from his feet and they tumbled over the couch and onto the floor, swinging at one another as they went. Elena was finally jerked into action.

'Stop!' she yelled, running around to stand over them, 'Stop it, you can't fight among yourselves!' she cried. Then, with an almighty effort, she grabbed Stefan's shoulders and yanked him away from Damon, moving in between them to keep them apart.

'I am tired of this!' she sobbed, her tears spilling forth. 'No more fighting! No more secrets! I'm tired of it all.' She turned to Stefan and looked him squarely in the eye. 'Stefan, Damon compelled me. He says that it was only twice. Once before we even met. He came across me in the forest and we flirted a little before he wiped the whole encounter from my memory.' Stefan's body had gone slack and he didn't answer. 'Then the night that you saved me from Elijah he brought back my necklace. Before he gave it to me he told me that he loved me but that he didn't deserve me … but you did', she finally gasped out, relief flooding through her at having one less secret to keep.

'I think I've changed my mind on that last one', Damon snarled but the animosity that had been directed towards Stefan was gone. The brothers looked at each other for a moment and then got back to their feet, sheepishly glancing at Elena. At last Stefan spoke.

'You flirted?' he repeated, almost to himself, then he looked at her. 'You met him first?' he asked, his voice full of anguish. Elena closed her eyes. 'If you had remembered, if he hadn't compelled you then you and I would never …' Stefan trailed off and looked straight into her eyes. 'I didn't meet you first', he breathed. Elena sighed,

'I don't think it makes any difference at this point now, do you?' Stefan looked at her uncertainly then he shook his head. 'I'm sorry Stefan, I'm so sorry but I just don't know what to think just now. Everything has changed so much in just a matter of hours. Everything I thought I knew has been turned upside down.' Stefan looked stricken but he did not even attempt to argue.

'I can't believe you compelled her', he said gruffly to Damon.

'Oh come on, of course you can', he replied wryly. 'But those were the only times', he pointed to Elena. A flicker of doubt crossed Elena's face.

'You must have ...' she started.

'Will I didn't. Why on earth would I lie now?' he replied firmly, 'Whatever little wet dream got you all excited must have come 100% from you'. She lunged forward to slap him again but Stefan grabbed her. She looked furiously at Damon but begrudgingly she had to admit that he had a point. She remembered the depth of his shock at her accusation and realised it was not like him at all.

'Well if you didn't? Then what was it?' she asked suspiciously, pulling out of Stefan's arms. Damon shrugged.

'Fairy dust? Maybe if you told us what you saw then we could try to work it out?' he suggested.

'I think he's right Elena, you need to tell us so that we can get to the bottom of this', he sank onto the couch knowing that he was not going to like her answer. Elena looked between the two of them crumbling inside with mortification. Eventually she conceded. She couldn't look at either of them as she spoke so she took Damon's usual spot by the fireplace and looked down into the cold ashes.

'All right', she squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. 'I couldn't sleep so I came downstairs and thought that I could maybe read a book from that dresser'. She pointed at it without turning around. 'So I went over there and the second I touched it ... well everything changed.'

'What do you mean changed?' Damon asked seriously.

'It was like someone turning up the contrast level on a TV, everything just gradually merged into a different picture. The room was the same but it was clearly a different time. The lights were on, the fire was lit and there was so much tension in the air you could have cut it with a knife' she carried on.

'And you were there? In this other memory', Stefan cajoled her.

'Yes', she nodded, 'Well, sort of, I was there but it was as if I wasn't in control of myself. Whatever was going to happen was going to happen. In fact I was so sure that it had already happened and that was why I couldn't control anything'.

'That would make sense. You would be experiencing it for the first time so it would all be new but unchangeable', Stefan nodded. 'And you're positive you didn't compel her?' he shot at Damon. Damon's face darkened.

'Hey', he threw his arms up defensively, 'I'm getting a little insulted over here. I said I didn't and I was telling the truth'. Stefan frowned and returned his attention to Elena.

'Go on Elena, then what happened'. Her embarrassment was almost crippling but she knew that she had to continue. They had to find out what was happening to her.

'Well ... Damon was there'.

'Really', Damon whistled, leaning closer.

'Damon if you make another sound I am saying another word', she warned him with a flash of anger. He grinned to himself but refrained from any further comments.

'You were suddenly there and you grabbed me and forced me up against that dresser and you ... you were kissing me.' Damon continued to grin to himself but all of a sudden there was a flicker of familiarity, had he had this dream too? Slowly the grin melted from his face as he began to get a very bad feeling. 'You kissed my neck and down my chest and back and then ... then just as you got back to my face ... you stopped'.

'He stopped?' Stefan asked, his voice tight and she had never been so glad that she couldn't see his face.

'Yes. You stopped said 'wait'', Elena answered and at that point Damon felt his stomach drop to the floor. With awful clarity, he knew what was coming next.

'Then what?' he almost whispered.

'Then nothing', Elena grimaced turning back to face them at last. She hadn't realised that it was possible to be this humiliated. Damon was looking at her as if he had seen a ghost and it wasn't the reaction that she had been expecting from him. Stefan on the other hand was looking at the floor, his eyes wide, full of confusion and hurt. For the first time since she turned, she truly felt sorry for him. 'That's when everything went back to normal and you came barrelling down the stairs', she finished miserably then bit her lip as she looked at Stefan. 'Are you all right Stefan?' she asked gently. He looked at her for a moment, his leg twitching agitatedly then before he could stop himself he had thrown himself across the room and aimed a punch at Damon's face. Damon, who had been lost in thought, reacted at the last moment and grabbed his fist, twisting Stefan's arm around until he had him in an inescapable hold.

'It was a dream, it didn't happen!' Damon snarled in his ear.

Stefan struggled for a moment then he gave up, raising his hands in surrender and Damon released him. Elena felt her eyes fill with tears again. She had had enough bickering for one night. She wished fervently, not for the first time, that the Salvatores could just make peace. There was enough violence outside without them bringing it indoors with them.

'I have had enough of this fighting!' she shouted. 'I've told you both everything. If you have to kill each other now then just go ahead. Don't expect me to watch.' And with that she began to storm from the room but before she reached the staircase she stopped abruptly. She turned and thundered back towards them, swiped the crystal tumbler from the table and downed the scotch that Damon had brought her earlier in one gulp. Then she was gone.

Damon felt a swell of triumph as he watched Stefan gazing forlornly at the untouched coffee cup. Then the reality of their situation pressed down on him again.

'I think we've got a problem', he breathed.

'You mean I have a problem', Stefan countered turning to him stonily. Damon met his gaze and he too found a small portion of his heart with which to feel sorry for him.

'No', he shook his head, 'I didn't mean that. I mean that vision. Well I think she's right. It is a memory'. Stefan looked at him incredulously for a minute then he was on him again. They careered into the table sending the coffee mug crashing to the floor.

'Wait, that's not what I mean you idiot!' Damon cried, pushing Stefan off and springing back to his feet. A split second later Stefan was standing facing him again, a snarl on his lips. 'It's not her memory!' Damon tried to appease him, holding out his arm to keep him at a distance. Stefan's rage faltered for a moment as he saw that Damon's face was deadly serious and his eyes just a little unnerved, then it was wiped clean with shock when Damon continued. 'She's right okay? It did happen, but it didn't happen with her. It happened with Katherine'.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I can't thank you all enough for all your lovely reviews and for all the people adding this story to your alerts. I didn't know how this would go when I started but I am just so glad that so many of you have let me know that you are enjoying this – although I'm afraid I am giving nothing away about where this story is going, you'll just have to keep reading! Funnily enough I didn't expect Stefan to feature much in this story at all but I just don't feel like Elena could realistically drop him cold and switch to Damon at the drop of a hat (although I would!). I wanted this story to really be about her decision. Several years ago I had been seeing someone for a few years when I suddenly met someone new. It was only then that I really looked properly at the relationship I was in and saw it in a completely different light. I had to make my own big decision – and it is an absolutely awful thing to have to do as you don't want to hurt anybody and I did change my mind a zillion times before finally deciding. Anyway, this is the angle that I really wanted to play with in this story. For anyone who's interested, I chose the new guy that I'd met and he is now my husband. Best decision I ever made.

Anyway, on with the show! Two chapters today! I had originally envisaged these two chapters as one but it was getting a bit long so I halved it. Really hope you enjoy. Again, I own nothing except an agreement with my husband that Ian Somerhalder is on my list of 5 freebies!

Elena slept fitfully and when she awoke the next morning she was still alone in the room. She rolled over to look at the other side of the bed and was sure that it had lain undisturbed by Stefan for the rest of the night. She groaned and rubbed her eyes slowly. She was still exhausted and her whole body seemed to ache a little, the worst part of which was a rhythmic throbbing at the back of her skull. Her mouth was dry and her thirst was a relentlessly raw scraping at the back of her throat. She tried to clear it by swallowing but it felt like pouring vinegar on an open wound and she abruptly stopped. Sighing heavily she tossed back the covers and sat dejectedly on the edge of the bed. She leaned over to grab her jeans from the nearby chair when all of a sudden a horrific burning sensation lanced across the back of her hand. She snatched it back towards her body and watched in horror as her skin hissed, cracked and sent smoke curling into the air. For a moment the skin blistered angrily then it quickly smoothed back into her flawless olive complexion and the pain was gone.

Elena furrowed her brow in confusion and glanced back to the chair before she finally noticed it. A single sliver of sunlight had sneaked in through the heavy curtains that were hung across the window and sliced its way across the room. Elena berated herself for being so stupid and reached again for her jeans, grabbing them by the cuff that was hanging in shadow and tugging them towards her. Once she was dressed she approached the window, keeping to the shadows, and readjusted the curtain so that no direct sunlight fell into the room. She grimaced as she thought of the gauntlet she would have to run to get downstairs. However, when she stepped out into the hall she realised that all the windows in the house had been meticulously blacked out with thick material. As she hurried downstairs she wondered which of the brothers had been so thoughtful as to remember the sunlight or if perhaps it had been a joint effort, a display of unity following her outburst the previous night.

She heard voices in the kitchen and followed them to find Stefan seated at the breakfast table and Damon leaning against the worktops. He never sat, Elena thought irritably, why did he always hover on the edges? It made her nervous. Stefan's phone was lying on the table in front of him and the brothers both looked grave. They weren't fighting though, which Elena could only hope was a good sign but their conversation had ground to a halt when they became aware of her footsteps crossing the living room.

'Morning sunshine', Damon greeted her, quirking one corner of his mouth as she entered. The gesture was familiar and light hearted and instantly made Elena feel a little better. She looked at them warily, as if she expected the quiet to be shattered at any moment but there was only a taut silence in the room. She wondered suspiciously what they had been talking about.

'Hi', she finally replied carefully. When neither of them answered she grasped for something else to say. 'You covered the windows', she finally continued. Stefan nodded.

'While you were asleep', he said.

'Wouldn't do to have you burst into flames now after everything we've been through, would it?' Damon added. Then he moved towards the table and extended a hand towards her. Elena smelled it before her brain could coherently process what he was doing. Blood. He was holding out a small glass half full with blood that smelled earth shatteringly good. 'Breakfast?' he offered. Elena looked at Stefan who said nothing but averted his eyes. He didn't want to see anything that reminded him that she was a vampire she realised fleetingly, but the burning in her throat was too insistent for her to dwell on the thought for long. Unable to contain a look of sweet gratification, she took the glass from Damon and raised it to her lips. Her first instinct was to down the whole glass in one gulp but Damon seemed to sense her intention and his hand was suddenly on her arm, forcing the glass away from her lips.

'I'd sip that if I were you. It's better in the long run', he said, his voice more gentle and sincere than she had heard it in a long time. Somehow that tone, the one she had only heard from him a few times since they'd met, got her attention. She looked up into his eyes which were strong and commanding and she nodded. It took all her willpower but she managed to raise the glass again and take just a sip. The intense satisfaction that coursed through her was exquisite and fuelled the urge to devour what was left but with a supreme effort she turned her head away, promising herself another sip in a few minutes. She slowly, agonisingly lowered the glass and set it back on the table in front of her. She glanced up at Damon as if for approval but he had already returned to his previous position by the worktop. She was pleased that he trusted her enough to leave her with the glass and tried to catch his eye but his face remained inscrutable. Already the small amount of blood was spreading like a balm through her aching body making her headache dissipate and her body feel alive with coiled energy again.

'So ...' she began carefully, afraid to set off any more fireworks, 'I know that things were a little ... emotional last night and I am sorry.' This was mostly directed at Stefan, Damon noticed with a hint of annoyance. Elena reached forward and took Stefan's hand. Her touch seemed to shock him and a glimmer of hope flickered across his face. She felt a pang of guilt as she remembered how much she had once loved him. How much it had hurt to even pretend that they were apart at one time. How could she just turn her back on him? She had to at least try, she decided. She owed him that. 'Stefan, I'm sorry that you had to hear that last night', she finally continued.

'I'm not', cut in Damon gleefully, 'In fact you can feel free to tell us again if you like'. Stefan gave him a murderous look but restrained himself admirably. Elena pointedly ignored Damon's outburst and carried on.

'But the fact remains that I am not in control of it and we need to figure out what it is'. The brothers glanced at each other for a moment, almost guiltily and Elena felt that hint of suspicion again. Damon sensed her mind working right away and spoke before she had the chance.

'That's true', he said, 'But it actually turns out that we have a more pressing problem to deal with first'. Elena looked at him, confusion etched across her face.

'Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like this?' she asked warily.

'Probably because you're not', Damon answered, 'We're having a little bother getting you a daylight ring - which leaves you a little more flammable than I think any of us would like'. Elena actually felt a little rush of relief. In the grander scheme of things this didn't sound like a problem at all.

'Oh', she replied, unable to hide the surprise in her voice, 'Why is that a problem? Didn't you call Bonnie? She should be able to fix it'. It suddenly occurred to her that, with everything else that had happened in the last 24 hours she had not even thought about her friend. She made a mental resolution to spend more time with Caroline and Bonnie as soon as possible now that their most pressing dangers were not so imminent.

'I'm afraid that is the problem', Stefan told her quietly, indicating the phone on the table. 'Bonnie won't talk to either of us.'

'Won't talk to you?' Elena repeated, not understanding.

'For the first few hours her phone just went to voicemail and then this morning,' Stefan paused, steeling himself to continue, 'her number was disconnected.' All of a sudden Elena's mind was whirring.

'But that could mean anything', she cried, 'Someone could have hurt her, have you checked that she's all right?' She suddenly realised that the glass of blood was in her hand again and it was on its way to her lips.

'Sip, sip, sip!' Damon barked exasperatedly, startling her and once again she was able to confine herself to a mouthful.

'Okay, okay!' she snapped, rising to her feet and slamming the glass back down, but she could still see a cocky yet warm smile on his face. She was sure that it was because she had managed to control herself for a second time that morning and there was a flutter of pride behind her anxiety. 'We need to go round there and make sure nothing's happened to her', she pleaded.

'I did', Stefan answered quickly, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder and easing her back onto the chair. 'She's not there Elena'.

'What do you mean she's not there?'

'I went by and the house was empty, I checked her room and all her clothes were gone, her closet had been emptied'.

'Someone might have taken her', Elena squealed, her face getting twisted with distress.

'Elena, she packed. She took her things with her. I think she meant to go', Stefan finished. Damon watched them carefully but didn't interfere. He noticed how Elena's grip on Stefan's hand had tightened. He hoped fervently that it was an involuntary action born of worry and not affection.

'We need to look for her, we need to find her', Elena panicked but before she could say anything further, all three vampires snapped their heads towards the front door. They had picked up the sound of approaching footsteps. The smell of live, fresh blood faintly reached Elena and she knew that their visitor was human. Hastily she grabbed the glass from the table and relished the last mouthful, knowing that it would be hours before she would taste it again.

They made their way into the living room as the sound of the front door opening reverberated through the house where they came face to face with Jeremy and Caroline. Elena's relief escaped in a burst and she rushed forward to hug both her friend and her brother.

'Are you all right?' she asked, 'Did anything happen to you?'

'We're fine', Caroline assured her, indicating Jeremy. 'See? All safe'. Her face changed when she saw how upset Elena was. 'Elena, what's wrong?'

'Caroline, it's Bonnie, someone's taken her!'

'We don't know that for sure', Stefan cut in evenly.

'No one's taken her', Jeremy suddenly interrupted causing a silence to fall over the room. They all turned to look at him. 'She's gone'.

'Gone?' Elena repeated. Caroline nodded at her.

'After I took Jeremy home last night I had to go into the woods. I hadn't eaten for days. So on the way I went to Bonnie's to check on her but...' Caroline faltered.

'But what?' Elena pressed.

'She was packing, throwing all her things into a bag', Caroline went on. 'I asked her what she was doing and she said that I had to leave. She said that she just couldn't take any more right now. She'd had enough ... she'd had enough of vampires and danger and people she loved getting hurt in a fight that wasn't hers. She would hardly talk to me then she said that she was going to stay somewhere else because too many vampires had already been invited into her house. The way she said 'vampires' was like she was talking about cockroaches or something, Elena. After that she tried to make me leave again but I refused and when I tried to make her talk to me she ... she hit me with that horrible witchy headache that she can give us.'

'Yeah, I hate that', Damon mused. Caroline rolled her eyes and turned back to Elena.

'She did that? To you?' Elena asked in disbelief. Caroline nodded sadly.

'She's changed Elena. I don't think she even sees us as her friends any more. She just sees us all as the enemy'.

'I don't think so', Jeremy's quiet voice interrupted.

'You don't? Why not?', Elena pleaded.

'She came to see me', Jeremy said plainly. Elena's eyes widened and Caroline snapped her head around in disbelief.

'She saw you? When? Why didn't you say?' she exclaimed.

'I guess it was right after she left you with your brain melting', he replied, his voice hard. Caroline was lost for words but her eyes betrayed the hurt that coursed through her. Elena put a reassuring hand on Caroline's shoulder and gave Jeremy a reproachful look.

'Jeremy, please', she warned and he rolled his eyes. 'What did she say?' Jeremy glanced from one stony face to another before letting out a sigh.

'She tried to get me to leave too', he finally admitted. 'She said that it if I was smart I would get the hell out of town and try to find somewhere that wasn't crawling with vampires.' He unashamedly met the darkening expressions that surrounded him. 'I told her that I had already tried that – even though I didn't know it', he grimaced, glancing accusingly at Elena. 'It didn't work then and I'm pretty sure from experience that no matter where I go some kind of trouble is going to follow me. So I guess I'm as safe here as anywhere else'.

'That situation might change', Damon snarled.

'Please let's not turn this into humans vs vampires, Jeremy', Elena sighed, her face sad and beseeching.

'Yeah, because you know who will win', Damon added. Jeremy glared at him and Damon begrudgingly found himself slightly impressed with his courage.

'I'm not', Jeremy sagged. 'I told her that I'd like nothing better than to find somewhere with no vampires, where I can still come down to breakfast every morning with my family and look forward to a day with nothing worse on the cards than a shift at the grill. But then I would be looking for something that's already gone.' He looked desolately at his sister, 'I'm not stupid Elena, I know this is the way things are now and that no matter what any of us do we can't change it. However much I wish that you and I could just go back to our normal lives, I know it can't happen. They don't exist anymore. But you're still here and you're still my sister. You always will be. That's what matters.' Elena felt tears prick the backs of her eyes. Brimming with gratitude that the earlier glass of blood had slaked her thirst, she gave her brother a brief hug.

'I wish Bonnie felt that way too', she sighed.

'Well I told her what I just told you', Jeremy gave a small smile. 'She said that she wished she could feel that way but as much as she loves you and Caroline, she's not going through anything else for the Salvatore brothers.' Elena nodded mutely, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.

'She said that?' Stefan asked tightly.

Jeremy nodded. 'Well I cleaned it up a little. She said that she doesn't know why you're both still alive but she won't lose anything else helping you.' Elena shook her head and felt her hand slide into Caroline's, wishing she could take Bonnie's hand with the other, the way they had done all their lives.

'Poor Bonnie, I just wish she didn't feel like she had to choose', she mused brokenly. Jeremy put his hand on his sister's shoulder encouragingly.

'Give her time Elena, somehow I think she'll come aroundt.' She met her brother's eyes hopefully.

'Really?'

'Yes. I reminded her that you would now be stuck inside all day, every day with the only brothers she loves so much for company and I asked if she would do one thing for me before she left'. Elena's mouth dropped open as Jeremy reached into his pocket and produced a small envelope. 'Here', he handed it to her, 'She said that she hopes you use it to go as far away from here as possible. And that was the last thing she said to me before she left', Jeremy finished as Elena was turning the contents of the envelope out onto her hand. A stray tear finally escaped from her eye as she held her palm out for everyone to see.

'It's a daylight ring', she breathed. Caroline put her arm around her as Elena slid it onto her finger. Elena looked at Jeremy. 'She did this for you', she told him in a thick voice. Jeremy shrugged and a ghost of happiness glowed faintly in his eyes.

'I think she did it for both of us', he replied. After a pregnant pause during which Stefan and Damon exchanged a worried glance Caroline finally spoke.

'Hey, do you want to go outside?' At once a genuine smile covered Elena's face. The thought filled her with hope. Hope that normal things such as sitting on the grass on a sunny day with her friends could still happen and that her world hadn't changed completely beyond recognition.

'I do', she grinned, 'at least into the garden. I know it's maybe not the best idea for me to be around a lot of people yet. Are you coming Jer?'

'Sure,' he smiled.

'Tell me about Matt,' Elena said, taking her friend's arm as they headed for the door, 'How is he?'

'He still hasn't woken up but the doctor's say his vital signs are good and it's just a matter of time. He'll be fine', Caroline assured her as they left the room. Stefan and Damon remained behind, forgotten. They were both well aware that their presence was not required at this moment. Once the others were out of ear shot Damon cocked his head and looked at Stefan.

'So this is still your master plan?' he asked quietly. 'You still don't want to tell her that she's in Katherine's head?' Stefan sighed heavily and scrubbed a hand over his face.

'She's got enough to deal with, Damon. It might just have been a one off anyway', he replied. 'Look at her, that's the happiest she's been in the last few days. Just let her have it.' Damon frowned for a moment before shrugging.

'Your call, you are the chosen one', he drawled sarcastically. 'But I'm willing to bet that Katherine's head is a pretty dangerous place to be. I know I'd appreciate a heads up.'

'You know what Damon,' Stefan was suddenly on his feet and pacing towards his brother. He stopped when he was nose to nose with Damon. His brother was shocked but didn't back down, holding his head high and meeting Stefan's glare. 'She did choose me', Stefan continued smugly. 'So why don't you make good on your word and get out of town. We can handle this from here.' Damon was taken aback for a moment then let out a long, low, sarcastic whistle.

'Well, look who's finally laid his chips on the table', he smirked. 'I think the players have changed since we made that little agreement though little brother, don't you?' Damon felt a little thrill of hope and triumph. Stefan was worried. Very worried. He knew exactly how tenuous his hold on Elena was and it was terrifying him. Emboldened by this thought Damon pressed on. 'I think any decision Elena made before the transition is about as stable as a house of cards now. I'll leave when she tells me that she doesn't want me here.' Stefan did a good job of hiding the doubt that crossed his face but Damon still caught it as it flitted through his eyes. With an infuriating grin he turned and started for the stairs. When he reached the bottom he turned back to Stefan, still smirking. 'Game's still on brother'.


	7. Chapter 7

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 7**

Don't own anything, this is just for fun.

Elena sat by the window and leaned her head on the glass, gazing out over the gardens of the Salvatore Boarding House as the sun steadily sunk over the horizon. She had found a pretty windowseat in one of the house's unused rooms on the first floor and it had now become her little hideaway. The day had started so well once she had received her ring. After her burning encounter with the sunlight earlier in the morning she had been apprehensive about stepping out of the safety of the shadows. She had screwed her eyes shut and felt a shudder of fear as she stepped forward into the warmth. For a moment the shameful thought that this was all a deadly trick that Bonnie was playing on her flashed through her head, that the ring didn't actually offer her any protection at all. But no. She walked into the garden the way she always had although she had never appreciated the warm sweet air and heat on her face like she did now.

She had passed a couple of familiar hours of much needed normality talking with her brother and her friend and it had left her feeling very much like her old self. It was only when Caroline and Jeremy had left and she returned to the house that things had begun to get complicated again. Stefan had been waiting for her and once again broached the subject of her diet. He begged her to consider his own way of life and learn to hunt animals with him and Caroline. Damon had been nowhere to be seen and without his steadying presence nearby she hadn't felt the strength to voice her objections to Stefan's request. If she was honest she had to admit that Damon's idea seemed to be the more sensible one. He was stronger and faster and, as long as he chose to keep to bloodbags or restrain himself to a sip here and there, nothing had to die at all. Stefan had spoken so firmly and with such purpose though that she sensed another argument looming just around the corner. Without Damon to support her she just wasn't ready for the turmoil and she crumbled, and agreeing to give it a try with him and Caroline that evening.

Damn Damon, she thought idly as the sun reduced to a bright line skimming the horizon. Why wasn't he there when she needed him. A small, niggling voice in the back of her head whispered the answer that she didn't want to hear. Because she hadn't chosen him. She had no claim on him, she had chosen Stefan and that was what she now had. It was funny, she reflected, how a little more information could make a decision look completely different. She hugged her knees into her chest and a worrying thought occurred to her. She hadn't seen Damon for the rest of the day. Could he have gone? She certainly wouldn't blame him. He had fought for her for so long that it was only a matter of time before he grew tired of her refusals. A real feeling of dread made her stomach feel like lead for a moment before she shook the idea away. No, he would have at least said goodbye she reassured herself.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted as she heard footsteps coming from the hallway outside. A moment later the door opened to reveal Stefan standing on the threshold. He smiled at her warmly and she found herself thinking of Damon's cocky smirk; the one that drew out her own smile in spite of herself. How could she love two people who were so different? _You don't_! whispered the same devilish voice at the back that seemed to be haunting her mind this evening.

'Are you ready?' Stefan's voice cut into her thoughts. She looked out the window again and realised that sun had finally set and a blanket of darkness had settled over the woods. She nodded and followed him down to the garden where Caroline was waiting for them.

'It really is quite easy', Stefan was explaining as they made their way into the trees. Elena was once again marvelling at how nimbly and soundlessly she could move now. She had always considered herself a relatively graceful person but there was no comparison between this and her clumsy, human body. Suddenly she realised that Stefan had stopped speaking and he and Caroline were crouched next to a tree, heads up sniffing the air. The sight turned Elena's stomach slightly. They were like animals. This was not what she wanted to be reduced to. She thought of Damon sitting comfortably by the fire with a crystal tumbler of blood in his hand and this whole endeavour just seemed like madness.

All of a sudden Stefan was off, he pounced on the undergrowth like a cat and when he straightened up again he had a rabbit in his hands. Elena looked at its big black eyes and nose twitching anxiously as Stefan tightened his grip on it. She felt a pang of sympathy for the poor, frightened creature but before she could say anything, Stefan's fangs had sprung forward and he descended like a hawk on the rabbit's neck. After a moment of gleeful growling and slurping, the remains of the rabbit fell lifelessly to his feet, the fur matted with blood. Elena swallowed thickly and looked at Stefan as his face returned to normal and he wiped the last of the blood from his lips. A corner of her mind asked how doing this to a poor, defenceless woodland creature was better than taking a nip from some drunk at a bar and then compelling them to never know any different. Nobody got hurt in that scenario, she thought glumly, her eyes once again drawn to the miserable heap of blood and fur that had once been the rabbit.

'See?' Stefan asked, 'Easy.' Elena willed herself to nod.

'Okay, your turn', Caroline joined in, taking her friend by the shoulders and turning her towards a new section of the forest. 'Give it a try.' Elena swallowed down the mild revulsion that she felt and tried to imitate what she had seen them do, sniffing the air and listening hard. She could hear several things rustling in the forest. She didn't know what exactly she should be listening for. All of a sudden she heard something rush past them and she tossed herself noisily through the air to land uselessly in a patch of leaves, giving a cry of exertion as she did so. As she sheepishly got back to her feet she could hear frantic scampering all around her.

'Didn't you listen to anything? Caroline whined, 'You've just chased away everything for half a mile around!' Elena shuffled her feet.

'I did listen', she lied unconvincingly, 'I just … isn't this a lot of hard work when there are blood bags back at the boarding house?' Caroline huffed but Stefan stepped in before she could say anything.

'You can't rely on blood bags, Elena, they might not always be there', he said gently. Elena wanted to take her argument further but she bit her tongue. She knew exactly why Stefan didn't just take a sip from someone and compel them. He had no control. It was never just a sip for him. 'Besides, it was your first try. Let's just move away from this spot and try again', he persevered doggedly. Elena nodded miserably and began to follow them through the woods again. Before long they had found another spot and she was poised ready to pounce once more. This time she tried to tell the rustling apart, picture the little feet that were making the noise and, sure enough, when she attacked this time her hands closed around the furry body of another rabbit.

'There you go', Stefan grinned happily while Caroline gave a little round of applause. 'Told you it was easy. Dinner is served.' He watched Elena closely while she lifted the rabbit to her face. It struggled and she could feel its heart pounding faster than she thought possible. She felt a surge of thirst sizzle through the back of her throat but as she looked into the little creature's eyes and felt its terror she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Slowly her arms lowered and her grip slackened. With a final, desperate wriggle the rabbit broke free and disappeared into the undergrowth like a shot. She looked guiltily at Stefan's crestfallen face and slowly watched it transform into anger.

'Why did you do that?' he demanded.

'I just … I couldn't do it', Elena implored him guiltily. 'It was just a rabbit, what has it ever done to anybody?' Stefan rubbed his temples.

'Elena you eat burgers? I've never heard you voice any concern for the cows before', he snapped.

'Stefan you know that's different', she retaliated, 'When you're the one directly responsible for the life draining out of those eyes it's different. I just … can't!' she exclaimed.

'Elena, I know all about watching the life drain from someone's eyes, believe me, this is preferable.'

'Maybe for you', Elena bristled. 'I want to try a way where nothing has to die', she stated firmly.

'Elena, you have no idea what you're suggesting', Stefan scoffed, 'You've been a vampire for two days'. Elena felt her hackles rise at his flippancy. 'If you are suggesting what I think you are, feeding from a human is an entirely different proposition. It's too hard to stop.'

'Not for everyone', she blurted out before she could stop herself. The woods fell silent even the trees seemed to be bowed under the weight of the tension.

'Okay', Caroline finally started, 'I think I hear some deer over by the river. I think I'll try my luck there and leave you two to … yeah', she trailed off and in the blink of an eye she had disappeared. Elena held her ground, looking Stefan in the eye. He shook his head and gave a harsh laugh. 'Not for everyone', he repeated to himself. 'You mean Damon?' he turned on her. Elena bit her lip.

'No', she stammered, 'Not necessarily, others too'. But Stefan wasn't listening.

'Damon. You think Damon can show you a better way?' he asked condescendingly, 'Because you have no idea what he has done in his life'.

'I know that you've both done things that you are not proud of', she cut him off bravely. 'And I know you are both trying to do the right thing in your own different ways now.' Stefan looked at her for a long moment and she felt a lick of fear as she realised that she was unable to read the emotions that were crossing his face.

'How long is this going to go on Elena?', he asked finally.

'What?' she asked, confused.

'This back and forth between my brother and me. I thought you had made your decision. I thought that you loved me', he finished coldly. She felt her insides squirm and her skin crawl with guilt.

'I do', she replied in a small voice, 'But things have changed… everything's different now', she told him. 'After what happened at the river I … something about you just seems so far away from me now. It's like I can't reconcile you with the person I knew before any more. It's like someone has pointed something out to me that I never noticed before but now that it's been brought to my attention … well I just can't stop noticing it.' The words tumbled out of her mouth before she had a chance to think about them but the relief at getting them off of her chest was overwhelming. 'You just don't feel like the person I used to know Stefan', she finished. Stefan's eyes blazed at her for a moment then he turned away and kicked a nearby bush sending some another small animal scurrying off into the woods.

'Are you telling me that you've changed your mind?' he asked, his back still turned to her. She was quiet for a long time, her mind racing, trying to find the truthful answer.

'No', she finally replied, 'I'm not saying that I've changed my mind. I'm just saying that I need to adjust to the change first before I know for sure.' The feeling that her stomach had suddenly been filled with stones told her that she was not being entirely truthful but she honestly felt that she was right back to square one. Two Salvatores and only one heart to give. Stefan still stood facing away from her, unmoving. All at once Elena couldn't stand to be near him for a moment longer, the pressure was too great. He wanted his answer now and she just wasn't ready to give it. She needed space. She needed to be away from him for a little.

'Look, I don't think things are going to get resolved tonight', she said evenly, 'And I don't think I am going to get any better at hunting. I'm going to go home and get some sleep. I'll leave you and Caroline to hunt without me slowing you down.' She waited expectantly for a moment but when Stefan didn't reply she started to leave. At the last moment, however, his arm shot out and he grabbed her wrist tightly. She looked up in shock. He was not upset; he was not pleading or begging her to stay. He looked positively livid with fury.

'Just remember', he hissed, 'Damon killed your brother and my best friend. He turned both your mother and Bonnie's, abused your friend and those are not the worst of his transgressions. Not by a long shot. I really hope you choose wisely Elena because you can't keep going like this forever.' Then he tossed her hand away from him and tore off into the trees. Elena was numb with shock for a second then a scuffling noise up above her jerked her out of her reverie. Without a backwards glance she turned and ran back to the boarding house.

She was shaken and a knot of anxiety had formed in her stomach when she reached the front door. As she entered she felt a little shiver course through her as Stefan's words played through her head again. The sense of foreboding was growing as she moved towards the staircase, when all of a sudden her thoughts were interrupted.

'How was the bunny diet?' She whirled round to see Damon lounging on the couch, a book in his hand and a glass of bourbon on the table at his elbow. The fire was burning brightly and the lamps were low and inviting.

'Hey', she exclaimed, 'Where have you been?'

'Oh you know, places to go, people to see. I don't just sit around the house all day you know', he replied raising an eyebrow. Elena couldn't help but feel the anxiety slowly start to melt.

'Of course', she smiled in spite of herself. 'Well I've had enough for tonight, I'm going to bed.'

'Really? Didn't it go well?' he asked smugly. She turned to him with a long suffering groan.

'You had to ask, didn't you?' she frowned. Damon sat up straighter on the couch.

'Oh dear', he grinned, 'They are a bit …' he smacked his lips, 'bitter aren't they?'

'I wouldn't know', Elena grumbled, 'I didn't eat one. I couldn't. It was just looking at me and … I didn't want to kill it,' she finished pathetically. Damon looked at her, his face growing serious.

'Why not? It's just a rabbit.' he asked quietly. Elena shrugged but he knew what she meant. He had known all along that she would never happily consent to killing anything. With an exaggerated sigh he got up and moved around the couch.

'So you haven't eaten then?' he enquired in an overly polite tone. Again the smile sprang unbidden to her lips as she shook her head. Suddenly she was buffeted by air as he disappeared at vampire speed and then just as quickly he reappeared. 'I think maybe you could have one of these then … if you want?' he offered, producing the blood bag that he had clearly just retrieved. Suddenly she realised that the searing thirst in her throat had not quite stopped since she had held the rabbit. Now, looking at the blood bag it felt positively scorched. She had rushed over to him before she was really aware of it and tried to snatch the bag. 'Hey, hey, hey!' Damon whipped the bag above his head before she could grab it. He started off towards the cabinet. She was just about to rebuke him when he turned, producing a fresh crystal tumbler and began to squeeze the blood into it. 'You're a lady aren't you?' he grinned, holding out the glass. She felt a burst of laughter escape her lips then she took the glass and enjoyed a long, satisfying sip.

'Oh that's so good', she breathed.

'Yeah', agreed Damon, flopping back onto the couch. 'It's a good year', he joked. She savoured the blood for a moment before looking at him thoughtfully.

'Damon?', she finally asked, 'How different is it drinking it straight from a person.' Damon lowered his book again, his eyes serious.

'Like night and day', he told her. She felt her frustration ripple through her and she looked unhappily into her glass. Damon watched her for a moment before continuing, 'That's why I've been advising you to sip it. If you get used to denying yourself the human blood when it's right in front of you then it should make it easier to stop yourself when drinking from a real person so that you don't kill them. It's all about controlling yourself.' She gave him a small smile as gratitude flooded through her.

'Do you think I'll ever be able to do it?' she asked simply. Damon sucked his breath in through his teeth in an overblown show of uncertainty.

'Oh, I don't know …' he trailed off.

'Damon!' she cried, but she found herself giggling. Damon felt his own lips quirk at the sound of her laughter. She stomped over to the couch and aimed a swing at his calf as she dropped onto the far side of the couch. Damon regarded her calmly for a moment.

'Elena, you've always done everything that you've ever put your mind to. If you want to live your life that way then I have absolutely no doubt that you'll make it happen.' Elena's heart swelled at his words and she marvelled at how much better she felt now than when she entered the house. How did he always manage to do this to her? How did he always know exactly what she needed?

'Thank you', she smiled. Damon reciprocated for a moment then he put down his book and shifted closer to her. A devilish look crossing his face that was utterly enticing.

'I know you've had a lot to process over the last couple of days but I wouldn't overlook the fact that… well some parts of being a vampire are actually kind of fun.'

'Fun?' Elena spluttered, having just taken another sip of blood.

'Yes!' Damon nodded emphatically. 'You're fast, you're strong, you can compel people', he counted off on his fingers. She narrowed her eyes a little.

'You really want to go there Damon?' she drawled sarcastically in her best imitation of his tone.

'I'm serious', he insisted, scooting a little closer again and Elena felt a tingle shoot up her spine. 'It comes in handy. Do you want me to show you?' he asked, his voice low and irresistible. Elena's mouth was suddenly dry and she hastily took another sip of blood.

'How would that work Damon, I can't compel you?' she countered.

'That's exactly the point', he told her indulgently, 'You can't do any damage because you can't compel me but at least you'll feel the right sensations and know that can do it properly.' It wasn't lost on her that he sensuously drew out the word 'sensations' but somehow it didn't make her angry.

'Okay,' she agreed hesitantly. Damon grinned and took the glass from her hands, setting it on the table. She felt a quick wrench as he took it from her but she satisfied herself that it was not far away.

'First thing', he began, taking her elbow and twisting her around on the couch so that she was facing him squarely, it's all about the eye contact. Look me in the eye.' At once Elena realised that this had not been a good idea, her eyes flickered from side to side, trying to look anywhere but into his. 'Oh come on', he chided her, 'I won't bite … unless you want me to', he raised his eyebrows sinfully.

'Damon!' she exclaimed, pulling away from him with a laugh.

'All right, all right', he conceded, 'I'll be good.' He took her shoulders and guided her back until she was once again facing him. His hand suddenly touched her hair and a jolt of electricity burst through her. It ran down her face and cupped her chin, gently forcing her face up until her eyes met his. Once they did she couldn't even think about looking away again. She stared deeply into the crystal blue depths of his eyes and she felt like they were trying desperately to tell her everything she wanted to know about him but she just wasn't quite able to understand.

'Good', he breathed. He couldn't have made a joke now even if he had wanted to. The power of her gorgeous chocolate brown eyes almost knocked the wind out of him when they made their connection. He felt so naked before her like this. For a moment he wished that he hadn't suggested this but then he realised that this felt more intimate than any embrace that he could share with her and he didn't want it to stop. Finally he found his voice again. 'All right, now keep looking into my eyes and think about the compulsion that you want to put on me. Do you want me to give you more blood? Do you want me to forget that I've just given you some so that I'll give you more? Do you want me to carry you upstairs to bed right now', his voice became velvety smooth as he spoke. By now Elena's whole body felt like it was buzzing, every nerve seemed to be standing on end as if one touch would send her tumbling into ecstacy.

'Damon,' she warned, but her voice was barely more than a whisper and she still couldn't tear her eyes away.

'Sorry', he said automatically and she knew that he was not the slightest bit sorry which gave her even more of a thrill. 'Think about the compulsion', he continued with his lesson, 'Think about what you want to do and then concentrate really hard on it. Push it forward, try and put the suggestion outside of yourself and onto me. If I was human you would see my pupils dilate and then you would know that there was a link. That's when you say what you're thinking out loud and that should cement the connection. You should feel your own eyes go in and out of focus and they'll feel hot and sting a little as if you had got pepper in them. Once that happens it should be finished and all you have to do is break eye contact and it's done', he finished forcing his head to the side and breaking the intoxicating bond. Elena felt a physical wrench as his eyes pulled away from hers and a little whine escaped her lips. He turned sharply to her with a grin.

'Do you want to try?' he asked pointedly. She nodded mutely, still not trusting herself to talk. She downed the last of her blood and readied herself. Damon turned back to her smugly, 'Go on then', he told her and their eyes were once more joined together. She took a deep breath and thought of something simple. She concentrated very hard on it, tried to externalise the suggestion as he had instructed. She couldn't feel anything and felt her brow furrow as she tried harder.

'Okay, now you look like you're having a stroke!' Damon laughed. She dissolved into giggles as well.

'That's not helping!' she assured him. Damon grinned and reached for the bourbon bottle that was on the table beside them. He tipped some into their glasses.

'Here', he nudged the glass towards her with the bottom of the bottle. 'Just relax, you're trying too hard'. She took a swig of the bourbon and realised how fantastic it tasted with the dregs of blood swirling around in it.

'Okay', she made a show of preparing herself and getting in position again. Damon found it utterly adorable and it was taking all of his will power not to sweep her into his arms right now. Instead he continued with the compulsion lesson, laughing at her facial expressions and the suggestions of what she wanted to compel him to do. She got better and gave a shriek of delight when she first felt the slight burn in her eyes which told her that had Damon been human he would have been running to fetch her more blood without being able to stop himself.

The level of bourbon in the bottle got lower and lower and Elena's giggling fits got more protracted. By the time the bottle was empty the lesson had been declared a success and they were slumped together in a messy heap. Damon was sitting with his legs stretched out and his feet resting on the table in front of them, one arm extended along the back of the couch. Elena had her legs tucked under her and fit snugly into the nook under his outstretched arm. Her head had some time ago collapsed sideways in exhaustion and now rested comfortably on his shoulder. She felt cosily tipsy and deliciously comfortable here. It was safe and warm and it felt like she was always meant to be here.

'It's late', she finally mumbled. She felt Damon's chest rise under her head as he sighed.

'Do you want to go to bed?' he asked quietly. Her brain couldn't seem to think but her head was already shaking making her face rub against his shirt. Damon moaned in pleasure slightly before he realised it and then looked sharply at Elena to see if she had noticed. If she had, it didn't seem to have phased her.

'Just stay a little while longer', she pleaded. 'I like it here' she finished drunkenly. Damon leaned down and she felt the feather light touch of his lips as he kissed her forehead. She felt her heart melt, her whole body vibrate happily and she settled happily against him. She must have slept then because she didn't remember anything further. The next time she opened her eyes the fire had burned down to a gentle flicker and the room was significantly colder. With a shiver, she slowly raised her head from Damon's chest. She realised with a surge of affection that he was asleep. She wasn't sure if he was ever completely asleep but at that moment his head had dropped onto his chest and his eyes were closed. All sarcasm and bitterness was erased from his face in sleep and he looked so much younger. His handsome features and long lashes were unspoiled by the decades of anger and disappointment that had succeeded in twisting them when he was awake. In sleep he could be the same boy that lost his life all those years ago.

She looked at him tenderly and fought the urge to reach out and touch his brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead. This thought suddenly froze in her brain as she felt a horribly familiar sensation. It was the strange feeling of remembering, of something previously shrouded in fog becoming plainly visible. The room around her melted quickly away and all of a sudden she was no longer on the couch. She was in a bed, a large four poster bed with crisp white sheets and the smell of lavender in the air. She realised with a start that her arm was reaching out of its own accord and a thrill of shock filled her mind when she saw what it was reaching for. Lying next to her in the bed was a young man, sound asleep. He had the face of an angel and it was achingly well known to her. She could only watch as her hand smoothed a lock of his dark hair from his face. The hair was a little longer and curlier than she was used to, but there was no mistaking Damon lying before her on the bed. Her eyes ran down over his strong shoulders and bare chest to where the cover snugly wrapped around him. His body slowly rose and fell. He was breathing. Damon was alive.


	8. Chapter 8

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 8**

Hey. I'm afraid I have bad/good news. I do a lot of theatre and have just been cast in a play which is going to be taking up a lot of my time for the next little while so updates might get a little patchy but I will definitely keep going. Once again thanks for all the lovely reviews and for adding to story alerts etc, all of this keeps me going. QueQuowie is making some good guesses about where the story is going and I really appreciate your reviews. Anyway, back to chapter 8 where it is high time for a little smut. Don't own anything, this is just for fun.

Elena looked on dumbfounded as her hand continued to stroke Damon's forehead. The fading, sensation of resurgence had prepared her slightly for what was about to happen so the shock wasn't as jarring this time as it had been before. Still, however, she felt disoriented, as if the ground had just fallen away beneath her. She tried to turn her head to glance around the room but once again she felt the unsettling feeling that she was not in control of her body. It frustrated her endlessly but this time there was not the same level of frantic terror. She was surer this time that whatever this vision was, it would come to an end eventually. Instead she tried to calm her mind and pay as much attention as possible to her surroundings, desperate for any clue as to what was happening to her.

Damon was alive. What did that mean? As she took in the elaborate bed hangings and beautiful linens it slowly began to dawn on her. This was the past. The expensive furnishings, Damon breathing, this must be at least 1864. Elena felt like she had run full force into a brick wall when this realisation hit her. It was impossible. How on earth could she be having visions of something that happened over one hundred years before she was born? A trickle of guilt leaked into the back of her mind as she remembered how she had accused Damon of further instances of compulsion. It seemed now that he had been telling the truth all along.

All of a sudden there was a tiny tinkling chime from behind her and her whole body turned over to look at an ornate, antique carriage clock that was sitting by the bedside. No, not an antique she thought soberly. It was probably brand new. From this fresh position she could see more of the room. A large porcelain wash basin and jug decorated with a delicate floral pattern sat on a nightstand next to an extravagant candelabrum upon which the candles still flickered uselessly in the daylight. They were down almost to the wick and Elena felt a squirm of discomfort as she thought of how long into the night they must have burned and how the occupants of the bed must have fallen asleep – too exhausted to extinguish them. Against the wall, under a gold framed mirror was a sumptuous red velvet chaise longue with a large and intricately beaded evening gown thrown haphazardly over the arm. Its skirts cascaded down and brushed the highly lacquered floor boards which stretched across the huge, airy space to a stunningly carved wardrobe with clawed feet and a rose pattern etched into its doors. The soft, pastel pink walls softened all the angles of the room and everything was bathed in the early morning sunlight that streamed in through the large windows.

Elena's hand rose and tried to comb through her tangled hair and suddenly she felt the other voice that she remembered from the previous vision rouse itself sleepily and vie for attention with her own consciousness. Languidly she rolled onto her knees, sitting back on her haunches on the bed and looked across at the mirror. If Elena had been in control of the body she would have gasped, because her own reflection looked back at her. Naked as she was, unadorned by any clothing of the period, she could have been looking into her mirror at home. She reached up to scrunch her hair, which was falling around her shoulders in sexy, bedhead tangles and the flash of a large ring on her finger became visible. For a moment Elena mistook it for her own daylight ring but realised quickly that it was, in fact, subtly different. Meanwhile, inside her head, the other voice became positively gleeful as she admired the curves of her naked body. Elena was crippled with frustration. She didn't recognise the smug vanity in the other voice, she would swear that it didn't sound like her. She couldn't even be here, it wasn't possible, so why did it look like her in the mirror? It was like looking at a twin. Suddenly her thoughts screeched to a halt.

Once again Elena got the feeling that the entire world around her had stopped and was so tensely paused that she could feel the pressure of it crushing against her from all directions. As time seemed to hold its breath, Elena's thoughts were flipped upside down and all the little, jagged pieces of the puzzle fell to the bottom and clicked into place. She knew of only one person who could be here with Damon and be smirking out of the mirror at her right now, someone who looked just like her twin. Katherine. This was Katherine's memory. It was Katherine's preserved inner voice running through her head alongside her own like a tiny, poisonous devil in her ear. Elena's mind reeled and she fought very hard to stay calm. She was afraid that if she was too shocked or frightened then the vision that encapsulated her would shatter like a reflection in a pool when a rock hits the water. Strangely, the final understanding of _what_ she was seeing helped her to slow her thoughts and keep her focus, even if she didn't know _why_ she was seeing it. She felt a lot more comfortable and in control now that she could at least comprehend the sights before her and, more importantly, assure herself that the second malicious voice which overflowed with bile was not from any part of herself.

Still, a flicker of anger rippled through her as she realised that Stefan and Damon must have known. Damon must have recognised the first memory she had told them and, yes, the hushed conversation in the kitchen. They both knew. They knew and they had purposefully kept it from her. Mentally calming the anger that had bubbled forth at this discovery, she decided that this issue could wait for another time. She was worried again about disturbing the memory and tried to regain her focus.

As she forced the initial shock down, she gazed into the mirror again. Really, the likeness was frightening. Not for the first time, she wondered how she could share a face with someone so utterly twisted. However, looking around the decadent room, which was redolent of such a different bygone time, she remembered how long Katherine had been alive and how much she had seen the world and the people in it change. Perhaps she hadn't always been such a monster. Maybe once she had been just like Elena behind the face too, with similar hopes and dream for happiness. Who knew what had happened to Katherine in all the time that she had been walking the earth to make her what she was now. It had been centuries. Elena inwardly shuddered as she realised that the same centuries were now lying spread out before her, the same path yawning open at her feet. She looked directly into the eyes of Katherine's reflection and she suddenly felt trapped in this body. A wave of panic spread through her as she tried to tear herself away from the mirror but she had no more control over this body than she had over the events that she was witnessing. They were already confined to history.

Suddenly, before her fear could take over, she was suddenly jerked up onto her knees as two strong, confident arms locked around her from behind and lifted her into an embrace. She felt her back slide against warm flesh and a kiss whispered at her ear. Damon let out a sleepy groan of contentment as he settled his head in the crook of her neck and pressed his face against her cheek tenderly. Her head bent sideways to nuzzle against his but her eyes never left the mirror. She watched in fascination as he pulled her flush against him and she felt his hardness against her lower back when he kissed along her shoulder. They were both gloriously and unashamedly naked and the unforgiving daylight made everything seem so much more exposed and intimate. Damon trailed his lips back up her neck while his hands wandered back and forth across her stomach before completely encompassing her, his thumbs stroking her arms gently. He tilted his head forwards and finally met her gaze in the mirror.

'Good Morning', he grinned at their reflection and his eyes were shining with adoration. Elena was glad that it was Katherine and not she who had to answer because she couldn't have made a sound if she had tried. She felt as if there was an electrical current suddenly running through her, making every little hair on her body stand on end. She could feel him against her, warm and alive. Breath hitching, heart beating, blood pulsing, all the little human things that she had never seen or felt in Damon before left her reeling. He looked so young and vulnerable. And happy. She had never seen him look so content. But the smile was the same. The same cocky, self-assured smirk, imbued with just enough warmth to save him from being obnoxious, still lit up his face in the same way and assured her that this man still lived somewhere in the Damon she knew.

'Good Morning', Katherine replied, her voice a purr that Elena knew she would never be able to replicate. Damon laughed into the side of her neck and the vibrations made Elena positively melt. His hands were now moving again, running teasing lines up and down her arms before finding her breasts and massaging them with practiced hands. All of a sudden she thought that maybe she could actually manage that purring sound after all. Elena felt her hand reach back over her shoulder and bury itself in his curls. She only realised as it happened that she had been desperate to feel the soft locks between her fingers since she had first laid eyes on him in the bed. All the time Katherine's eyes vainly watched their reflection with satisfaction.

Elena had never considered what she and Damon would look like as a couple and she had to admit that they looked perfect. Their bodies seemed to fit together as if they had been designed that way and he looked at her as though she was the only woman in the world. No, she suddenly had to remind herself. She wasn't looking at Elena and Damon, she was looking at Katherine and Damon. All that love in his eyes was for Katherine, she thought and was shocked by an intense stab of jealousy. Then, in the reflection, she saw Damon rolling her nipples between his fingers and all coherent thought escaped her. Even Katherine let out a gasp of pleasure.

'I see we exhausted ourselves again last night', he murmured into her hair, one hand continuing to manipulate her breast while the other slid down over her stomach, his whole palm keeping contact the entire time. Katherine gave a sly smile and replied,

'Speak for yourself. I could have kept going until the candles went out', she nodded towards the low flames that still doggedly persisted. Damon shook briefly with laughter against her back then without warning she was yanked up off of her knees and he tossed her through the air to land on her back on the bed, bouncing upon impact. Katherine laughed uproariously and the surprise brought Elena some way back to her senses.

'They're not out yet', Damon smirked and slowly he began to crawl over her on outstretched arms until his face was directly above hers. His hands found hers on either side of her head and flattened them against the mattress, pinning her underneath him. He gazed into her eyes and the naked, unashamed love in them was almost painful to see. He lowered his face and brushed his nose against hers, teasing her with the promise of a kiss before pulling back with a smile. He rested his forehead against hers and Elena saw his eyes flicker closed involuntarily.

'Katherine', he moaned.

Slowly the full reality of the situation began to settle on her. The body that had felt Damon's scintillating touch was not Elena's at all. This staggeringly intimate moment was not for her, it was for someone who would go on to break his heart and it made her unutterably sad.

Damon nuzzled her skin with more kisses along her cheek and Elena felt like the pleasure would never end. She couldn't participate, she couldn't kiss him back. She could only lie and accept these caresses, stolen from someone else. It was so twisted and yet it was still the most burningly aroused that Elena had ever been.

Suddenly, however, a change in the second voice, Katherine's voice, caught her attention. Up until now it had been sleepy and content to let him worship her but now her mood was darkening. At once Elena knew that she was not the only one who had noticed the depth of affection in Damon's face and the emotion that was now coursing through Katherine was something akin to revulsion. Elena felt an awful knot of apprehension form as Katherine's abhorrence started to melt into a devilish playfulness. She didn't care about what Damon felt for her Elena realised, stunned. If anything his love, his desire for this to be more than a casual encounter made her crueller. Elena willed this all to stop as she felt Katherine's mind fill with thoughts of torment. Then, as Damon was kissing his way along her jaw line her plan resolved with a flash of glee and her head darted forward sinking her fangs savagely into his neck.

Elena could feel Damon's shock and it made her want to cry. His weight on her hands was instantly gone and she felt him trying to pull away but Katherine's hands seized his hair and held him still until she had drunk her fill. The taste of fresh blood directly from Damon's veins was like a taste of heaven. Elena felt her bloodlust rear viciously and her inability to move her body and continue to drink was beyond torturous. As soon as Katherine released him, Damon fell back onto the bed beside her, then scrambled up to sit against the rich oak headboard. He clasped his neck and looked at her, hurt and betrayal etched all over his face.

'Oh don't be that way, it was just a little breakfast', she gave him an enticing smile. Elena still befuddled by the lingering thirst got more and more distressed as she looked at his face. The heartbreak in it was awful, but even worse was the hope, hope that if he acquiesced then she would love him the way that he so desperately wanted her to. She began to slink towards, gently moving his hand from the wound and licking away the blood that still oozed from it. He exhaled sharply from pleasure when her tongue made contact.

'Perhaps a little warning next time?' he said quietly.

'Where is the amusement in that?' she giggled as she slowly straddled him, sitting across his lap. She ran her hands up and down his perfect chest, lulling him into a sense of security again but Elena could feel the mean excitement that meant that Katherine was not finished. She tried desperately to exert some force on the body that she was trapped in, to make Katherine have mercy but it was all useless. Katherine shuffled lower to grind against his persistent erection and clasped his shoulders. Damon gasped.

'Don't you know that a little pain can sometimes … enhance your pleasure?' she asked, her voice like velvet and then she dug her fingernails into his flesh. He jumped and frowned at her.

'I think I prefer to keep those sensations separate', he replied carefully. Katherine sulked and sat back a little. All the while Elena could swear that she could hear her mocking laughter resounding in her head. This was all a wonderful game to Katherine, how far could she push him?

'I'm sure Stefan would not begrudge me a mouthful of blood', she batted her eyes at him with a calculated pout. Again Elena's heart broke a little as she saw the pain that crossed Damon's face but it was quickly replaced with resolution. His hands came up and grabbed her hips, fingers digging into them hard enough to leave a bruise.

'Well perhaps I need a little further … education', he replied bravely. And he swiftly raised her up and entered her, letting her slide back down onto him with a long, delicious groan. Elena felt like her mind would explode now. The conflicting sensations were too much. The overwhelming satisfaction of feeling Damon inside her for the first time vied with the anguish at Katherine's torture of him and combined to leave her feeling torn and distressed and desperately needy. When Katherine began to move up and down, riding him slowly her mind descended into complete turmoil.

'Maybe you're right', Katherine smirked at him as she moved up and down in deliberate strokes, 'Why don't we try another lesson?' With a burst of malevolent intent she grasped his chin and forced him to look into her eyes. 'Don't move', she said plainly. Elena felt the peppery burn and knew that she had just had her first taste of proper compulsion. A fractured, incoherent dread swept through her as Damon's eyes widened in a slightly frightened surprise.

'My poor, sweet, innocent Damon', Katherine cooed. 'You need to learn to trust me.' Why did she have to be so callous, Elena wondered fretfully. Slowly and deliberately Katherine reached for the candelabrum next to the bed. And for a moment she held it in her hand as if admiring it. 'You'll enjoy it', she smirked, 'I promise', then she tipped the candlestick and let what was left of the hot wax drip achingly slowly onto his chest.

Damon hissed and looked at her with huge, horrified eyes. Pain twisted his features but he was not able to move an inch. Elena was now screaming inside her head and Katherine was in her element. She revelled in the command that she had over him and wallowed in triumph at his distress. She raised the candle and looked pointedly into his eyes. She was seeking permission, she was going to make him ask her to treat him like this Elena realised, feeling utterly sick. The hurt in Damon's face was unmistakable now, but still he mustered himself and found a half hearted grin for her. He nodded and with an internal laugh of victory that Elena wished she couldn't hear, Katherine drizzled a little more wax. Damon's muffled gasp of pain spurred Katherine's arousal. This game had turned out better than expected. She felt drunk on the power that she wielded and the contempt that she felt for him was almost tangible to Elena. She could only do this with him because she didn't care about him. It was the destructive, empty sex that she brandished like a weapon and she would continue to use it torture Damon merely because she enjoyed it, Elena realised with disgust. Katherine had won again and she was ready now to be taken and bring this game to an end.

She returned the candelabrum and began to increase the pace of her thrusts. She grabbed Damon by the hair and hissed into his face, 'You can move again.' Suddenly Damon was upon her. He sat forward and pulled her tight against his chest with a wild growl. He grabbed her hair pulling her head back and savagely kissed down her neck to her breasts, sucking her nipples into his mouth forcefully. Katherine gave a cry of pleasure and then he flipped them over, dropping all his weight onto her. He started pounding into her with wild abandon and they both cried with need upon every thrust.

Elena began to fall apart. She could smell the sweat on his skin, feel the still warm candlewax on his chest oozing against her breasts and see the torn look of both victory and emptiness on his face. He knew, she realised. Deep down he knew that Katherine didn't care about him but he still hoped to persuade her. He still thought that the profoundness of his love would somehow change her mind and cause her to unearth true feelings for him. All this became too much and Elena felt completely overwhelmed. She felt like there was not enough room in her head for all the thoughts and voices and sensations. But each time he plunged into her it drove her further into incoherence. Finally all she could feel was his hot, skin. It was on her, in her, it was everywhere. She felt like she had become a part of him and at this thought she began to climax so hard that she would have screamed his name if she had been able to.

As everything came to a peak in her mind, there was a sudden, disorienting swirling all around her and as she came back to her senses, she realised that she was once more back in the living room of the boarding house. She was shaking all over and felt ravaged with confusion. Her throat was positively aflame and she felt her fangs extend and her face change. She was like an animal, she had no comprehensible thoughts, she was just a churning mass of primal hunger.

'Elena?' came a voice, cutting through her internal chaos and her head shot up to see Damon looking at her in alarm. 'Elena?' he called her again and he reached forward putting a hand on her arm. She shot away from it like she had been burned and scrambled to the far side of the couch with an audible hiss.

Damon was afraid. He had never seen her like this. She was almost feral. Her whole body was tense and her fingers dug into the arms of the couch. She was looking at him like she had never seen him before.

'Elena', he tried again, moving closer in an attempt to calm her. She lashed out at him with a hand but he reached up with cat like instincts and caught her wrist before it connected. Her eyes flashed at him and she snarled,

'Thirsty!' Then before he could stop her she had wrenched herself away from him and vaulted over the back of the couch. She made a break for the steps to the basement, almost able to hear the blood down there calling to her. She didn't make it. Damon caught up to her before she got out of the living room and spun her around, back towards the fireplace, crushing her against his chest and pinning her arms to her sides.

'Elena listen to me!' he cried trying to make her look into his eyes. 'You've got to concentrate, control remember? You're better than this, you can master it. You've just got to try'. She roared and thrashed in his arms until with one almighty effort she broke free. She turned but before she could run Damon tackled her and they both crashed to the floor. Damon was above her like a dead weight, keeping her as still as possible. The familiarity of the position suddenly filtered through Elena's hazy consciouness and she remembered him on top of her, filling her so completely. She felt control begin to return. 'Elena please', Damon's voice finally reached her. 'Try. For me?'

And then she was looking at him, focussed and in charge of herself again. Their eyes met and Elena could feel tears coursing down her face, her chest hitching in a sob.

'Damon?' she whispered, staring at him in disbelief. It was only now that she had seen him so happy that she could recognise the deep sadness that had been in his eyes ever since she had known him. She had never noticed it before. No wonder he had such a skewed view of relationships when the first woman he had ever loved had treated him so miserably. Looking now at his concerned face she realised that the love was still there, even though his features were hardened, it could never change those big beautiful eyes. They were still brimming with emotion and this time it was hers. This time that look was really for her and as thoughts of the things that she had said and done to him over the years raced through her mind it just made fresh tears spill from her eyes.

'Hey', Damon soothed her, sensing that the immediate danger was over. 'It's all right Elena. Nothing happened.' His hand came up to stroke her cheek. He couldn't bear to see her cry. He still lay on top of her on the floor but she found his weight reassuring. It made her feel like things were real and it hadn't even occurred to him to get up. She felt so soft and inviting underneath him that he began to feel a lump in his throat. As he gently wiped her tears away with his thumb he realised that she was looking deep into his eyes and he felt his whole body thrum with desire. Slowly her hand came up and pushed the hair back from his face, a small smile ghosting across her lips as she did so. Damon could feel that they were on the brink of something, something huge. The air was thick with tension and suddenly it felt like some magnetic field had engulfed them and was pulling them slowly together. Nothing was going to stop the interminable descent of his face towards hers. Her lips were only inches away.

'What the hell is going on here?'

In that second the spell shattered and both of them snapped their heads around to see Stefan standing in the doorway, his face a snarl of rage.

'Stefan', Elena gasped and Damon felt a wrench of loss as she began wriggle out from beneath him.

'It's not what it looks like', Elena pleaded, her face still tear streaked.

'Oh really? What is it then Elena? Because it looks like you've changed your mind just a bit since we last spoke'. Stefan blustered.

'As much as I hate to admit it', Damon joined in, back on his feet now, 'nothing happened. You can calm down'.

'Calm down?' Stefan repeated incredulously, 'That did not look like nothing!'

Damon had a rebuttal, as he always did, but Elena was too exhausted to listen. Her head ached like her skull was about to crack and, while she was in control again, her thirst was still scorching the back of her throat. She was in complete confusion. As she snuck a look at Damon arguing passionately with Stefan she realised that she felt like she understood him better now than she had this morning. And despite everything else that set off a glow of happiness deep inside her.

But this arguing had to stop. Her head couldn't take it. She could not carry on listening to the same argument over again. Her irritation flared into anger as their voices grew louder and they became dangerously close to exchanging blows.

'You expect me to believe that you were just trying to stop her from going for the blood? Do you really think I'm that stupid?' Stefan was bellowing.

'Of course I do!' Damon drawled sarcastically, 'But do you really think I would lie to you? Do you think maybe if you hadn't forced her out on a bunny hunt she might not have got so thirsty?'

'Hey!' cried Elena stepping in between them, her expression thunderous. The brothers both stopped short, looking at her warily.

'As long as we're asking questions, I have one', she informed them in a ragged voice. She turned her fiery eyes on each of them in turn. 'Would either of you like to tell me exactly how long you have both known that I've been experiencing Katherine's memories?'

Stefan tried to speak but could only manage to stutter. Damon lowered his eyes to the floor and heaved a sigh. It was going to be a long night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 9**

Don't own anything, this is just for fun.

Elena closed the door of the shower and let out a long groan as the hot water began to cascade down on her. Her head and throat still ached following the latest memory, she was still slightly muddy from the disastrous experience in the woods and a slight chill had crept into her bones both from lying so long in the draughty room downstairs and from the heart wrenching scene that she had just been forced to live out. Turning her face into the shower she suddenly couldn't remember anything else ever feeling so good and she let her mind fill completely with the decadent feeling of the almost scalding water beating steadily against her body.

Once she had revealed that she was entirely aware of whose memories she had found herself experiencing, the inevitable argument that broke out had raged for at least half an hour, but it was basically the same argument that they had been having for some time now. Secrets, she thought grimly. Always secrets. She was so tired of people keeping things from her. She knew that it was always done for understandable, sometimes even admirable reasons but she had had enough of being left in the dark. After they had circled this issue for some time she had finally told them plainly that from now on they had to be honest with each other. She didn't need protection any more, not the way she had before at least. She had been very careful to avoid Damon's eyes throughout the conversation because she couldn't even begin to process all that had just happened between them (both in Katherine's memory and the floor in front of the fire) now that reality had washed over them again. However the few times when she had snuck a look at his face there had been an odd mixture of rage and smugness lurking there, which made her suspect that keeping the truth about Katherine's memories from her had not been his idea. To her overwhelming relief they hadn't asked her about the details of her latest memory. It was enough to know that it had happened and that her reaction to it had been far more alarming than the content. Luckily, so far, they had concentrated on that. She didn't know how she could keep it from them if the question ever arose she realised with a sense of foreboding, not after the outburst she had just had about honesty.

Finally, exhausted and aching all over, Elena had reiterated her position quite clearly and retreated upstairs for the shower that she had been craving since the moment she had returned to the boarding house earlier that evening. She laughed mirthlessly to herself and leaned her head against the wall as she reflected on how much longer it now seemed than just a few hours. She reached for the shampoo but as she opened it the burst of a fresh but masculine scent caught her attention and she realised that it was a man's shampoo. No she thought, smelling it again in spite of herself. It was Damon's, it smelled just like him. A cloud of butterflies fluttered to life for a moment in her stomach as she remembered the feeling of his hot, damp skin gliding wonderfully against her own and she found herself speculating on how it would feel if he was here now, naked and wet and pushing into her back. A tingling warmth engulfed her and set a fresh wave of guilt washing over her. She shook the arousing thoughts from her head and reached for the shower dial to reduce the temperature. She wondered again if it had perhaps been a bad idea to accept Damon's offer to use his own bathroom.

She had intended to use the shower in the guest room where she had found her window seat hideaway but when she had turned on the water there had been only a clattering of pipes and a few intermittent gushes of water that had been tepid at best. She had left the water running for a moment in the hope that it would warm up and headed to the closet in the hallway to retrieve some towels. However, after yanking some into her arms from the shelf she closed the door again and was surprised to find Damon standing behind it.

She'd jumped with a gasp and her face had turned into a frown of annoyance. She'd thought that now she was a vampire people would not be able to sneak up on her so easily but Damon still seemed to manage it with his usual finesse. She looked at him searching for any sign of the living, breathing man that she had seen earlier but his face was totally expressionless right now.

'I'm going out', he said plainly. Confusion filled her and she tried to read his face for any sign of what he wanted her to say. The first question that blazed into her mind was 'are you coming back' but it felt silly to ask that. He seemed to notice her bewilderment however and pointed back along the corridor to his own room.

'I'll be gone for a few hours', he continued by way of an explanation, 'use the shower in my room. It's the best one in the house.' She remembered the few glimpses that she'd had of the glittering, marble nirvana of Damon's bathroom and could almost feel the bliss of his huge shower as he spoke. Then her guilt pricked at her again. She shouldn't accept an offer like that, she knew she shouldn't, but it was just so tempting.

'Damon, I don't know …' she began.

'Do it', he interrupted but his voice was not unkind. She felt a swell of gratitude and for a moment the urge to throw her arms around him almost overpowered her. There was nothing better that he could have offered her right now. She nodded mutely, suddenly so moved by the simple gesture that she didn't trust herself to speak. She thought he understood though as his features softened and she saw genuine affection creep into his eyes. It was almost the man from 1864 standing in the corridor with her now. He glanced down and hesitated, unsure of his next move, then finally looked up at her again, all his cockiness restored. 'Use my towels as well', he finally said, indicating the bundle that she still clutched to her chest like some kind of shield. 'I wouldn't wash my car with those'. Then as quickly as he'd appeared, he was gone.

Elena felt heat flood through her all over again as she remembered his confident smirk and the positively filthy look that he had shot her before his disappearance. She smiled as she began to rinse off her hair and her senses were again assaulted by the incredible smell that she so closely associated with him. It seemed funny she thought with a genuine shake of laughter to think of Damon standing here washing his hair, doing something so mundane that was a world away from all the drama that usually embroiled all their encounters. She had never really pictured him in an every-day, domestic situation and she wished she knew why it was making her grin so much now.

With a slight pang of regret she turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Looking around she realised with irritation that she had left the towels on the bed. Damon had been right on that score too. They were huge and soft and fluffy and made the ones she had selected earlier look like dust rags in comparison. A quiver of excitement licked through her body as she realised that she would have to walk across his bedroom naked to get them.

Taking a deep breath she made for the bed and found that she kept surreptitiously glancing at the door. She physically cringed with embarrassment when she realised that a small part of her was hoping that Damon would come back and catch her like this. She could picture his face suddenly appearing in the doorway, his jaw dropping and eyes nearly popping out of his skull. Suppressing a groan, she inwardly admonished herself. She knew that thought should not make her so hot.

Suddenly, before she could take another step, she felt the world begin to turn its end.

'Not again! Already?' she breathed aloud and desperately tried to grab something to keep her from falling over due to the disorienting sensation but it was too late. The change was complete and her body would no longer obey any commands. Katherine's body, she reminded herself. More like a flash than a gradual fade this time, the sudden jolt left her unsettled and afraid of what she was about to see.

Then he was there. Damon was actually standing right where she had just pictured him, his face the exact slack jawed mask of complete shock mingled with hope that she had imagined. The moment that he goggled at her was long enough for Elena to realise that Katherine, like she had been, was standing there completely naked. She felt a flash of anger as she wondered exactly how many times Damon had been with Katherine since her return. Then his face changed, eyes hardening with recognition and she understood his initial paralysing hope and the barely concealed joy that he was clearly afraid to let swamp him no matter how much he wanted it. He had thought it was Elena prowling out of his shower, naked body glistening with water. Elena felt both sad and touched at the same time.

'How did you get out?' he finally spoke, still too obviously surprised to abrade her with any of his usual sarcastic comments.

'I knew if I begged you not to kill Elijah then that's exactly what you would do' she replied, her voice smug and mocking. 'Little known fact', she continued, so pleased with herself she was practically gloating, 'originals can compel other vampires but as soon as they die the compulsion wears off'.

'And you knew' he narrowed his eyes; although Katherine's flawless nudity was clearly still a sufficient distraction to keep him at almost a loss for words. This was the night that she had escaped the compulsion that kept her in the tomb Elena realised, glad to be able to place this incident before the summer when she and Damon had become so much closer.

'And I'm still here. I didn't run', she went on, a sly note creeping into her inner voice as she donned a mask of sincerity on the outside. 'I meant what I said Damon, I'm going to help you'. Still games Elena thought angrily. She always seemed most happy when she was manipulating people; the sheer, delicious glee that danced in her consciousness was unmistakable. She simply loved the power and thrived on the mischief and chaos that she caused. And Damon was possibly her favourite opponent. He put up enough of a fight to make it interesting but she always managed to win him over in the end and give her the satisfaction of crushing him. The way Damon was looking at her now, Katherine was convinced that her bold play of appearing naked to him, tapping into the side of him that responded to their torrid sexual past was working perfectly. He would be eating out of her hand. 'So how about that robe?' she pressed with theatrical coyness.

Trapped in her mind, Elena could almost laugh at Katherine's arrogance. She was honestly convinced that deep down Damon was still head over heels in love with her. Her mind couldn't seem to conceptualise any other explanation. The thought that he had momentarily mistaken her for Elena did not even occur to her.

Damon took a few incredulous steps towards her but stopped short at the foot of the bed. Katherine's inner voice began to purr, she was so confident in her plan. She moved a few steps closer and provocatively wrapped herself around the bedpost, hopping up to kneel on the pristine sheets.

'Or do you like what you see too much to cover it?' she crooned.

Slowly Damon leaned forward onto the bed, inching nearer to her, a hand planted on either side of her knees. Elena felt her excitement rise at his closeness; his face was only inches away from hers now.

'As a matter of fact', he replied with a dangerously smooth tone, 'I've seen it all before'. Then in the space of second he fisted his fingers in the bed sheets and in one fluid motion ripped it from the mattress sending Katherine crashing off of the bed when it shot from under her. As she hit the floor he tossed the sheet so that it landed on her, hitting her in the face and falling to cover her.

Everything in Katherine's thoughts turned red with rage as she clawed at the sheet and finally pulled it from her head. Elena's mind erupted with a cry of vindication. She could have cheered for Damon right now. Katherine's vanity did not allow for this kind of reaction and the fury that pulsed through her frightened Elena. Katherine growled at Damon but he was already at the door looking back with an air of calculated indifference.

'Keep that on', he advised her dismissively, 'and make sure you put it in the laundry when you're done with it'. He disappeared just as she seized a book from the bedside and launched it after him. Already Elena could feel Katherine's mind churning and boiling, scheming, plotting and planning more games to get her revenge. She was never going to let Damon stop playing she realised with horror.

On that thought, there was a brief but strong jerk in her perception accompanied by an unsettling shift in her surroundings and she tumbled forward onto the bed. She was still naked but she could move again and the pile of towels that she had left on the bed earlier was sitting by her elbow. She was herself again. For a moment she stared at the ceiling, dazed, her hands hastily testing her body to make sure that it was completely back under her control again.

This vision had been shorter and, after a few moments' concentration she managed to swallow down the reflection of bloodlust and crazed madness that had consumed her after her vision earlier that night. Eventually she found the energy to pull herself into a sitting position, trying to ignore the niggling worry that the aftermath of these visions was getting worse.

All anxiety was quickly replaced by a hot, itching embarrassment, however, when she realised that she was lying naked on Damon's bed. Immediately the thought became too much. All of this was too much. She felt like one more thought would make her head explode. Desperately she grabbed for the towels and pulled them around herself. As she ran from the room she couldn't help but appreciate how warm and soft they were,

She dashed back into her guest room and quickly began to dry her hair and put some clothes on, all the while trying to concentrate completely on the mundane tasks at hand and restricting anything more overwhelming to the peripheries of her mind. This couldn't last forever though and soon she was lying in bed alone. All she could hear were the ancient creaks of the beams and rafters as the old house settled round about her, appearing to offer her words of comfort. However they could not keep her mind from whirring, a centrifuge of doubt.

She had now experienced three memories from Katherine's doubtlessly vast collection and it made her a little anxious that they all involved Damon. More than that, so far they all involved some kind of sexual contact with Damon. Stefan had made no appearance at all. Were they responding to some desire within her? Did she want Damon that badly? Maybe she did she thought guiltily but she had also seen first-hand how consumed he had been by Katherine. As much as the latest memory proved that he had reached a stage where he could refuse her charms and recognise her evil machinations, would that kind of connection ever really die? Surely she would always be in his head, another game just around the corner. With an opponent willing to drape herself naked over his bed to achieve her ends, how could he be expected to beat her?

Suddenly Elena sat bolt upright in bed. Naked! Katherine had been naked in the memory just like Elena had in reality and both women had been hoping for Damon to happen upon them. Was that the link she wondered? She quickly recalled the first vision, she had been thinking about Damon and was in the exact place where the event in the memory occurred. Prior to the second vision she had been contemplating Damon in his sleep and thinking about carrying out the same gesture as Katherine had: stroking Damon's hair.

All of a sudden this new idea consumed her. If she could figure out the trigger for these memories then perhaps she could control it, maybe even make it useful. She was desperate to experiment and at once she tossed back the sheets and groped for her sneakers by the bed, yanking them onto her feet. She made for the door but when she opened it she came face to face with Stefan, his hand raised ready to knock.

'Stefan!' she gasped. He seemed to have regained his calm and brought himself back under control, although his eyes looked so tired.

'Hi', he replied, 'I didn't wake you did I?'

'No', she shook her head, unable to conceal the surprise in her voice. 'Uh … come in', she opened the door. He hadn't tried to sleep beside her again since that first night and it felt awkward being near to the bed with him again, its presence was a glaring elephant in the room. She had been naked with him countless times, made love to him over and over yet now she could barely find words to say to him.

'I'm sorry about earlier', he began, hovering near to the bed as if he was not sure whether he should sit down. Elena sighed.

'Let's not go over it again', she told him, but her voice was soft, she was struggling to dredge up any emotion for him now except pity and irritation.

'I mean … I mean everything earlier', he finished, finally sitting and looking up at her with a hang dog expression that made her want to pat his hand reassuringly. But she couldn't.

'Let's just … start afresh', she suggested weakly.

'Good idea', he replied with a forceful nod. 'Everything's so intense just now. It's probably better if we don't go doing anything … dramatic until things settle down'.

Elena felt a lump forming in her throat. She knew what he was asking. He didn't want her to decide between himself and Damon now because he knew he was going to lose. He thought that if she waited long enough the initial shock of being a vampire would wear off and she would go back to being the same scared, confused, lonely girl that she had been when they met. The girl that had needed him. The girl that had loved him. But Elena knew that she wasn't that girl anymore, she was so different now. Everything that she had once found important had changed; everything that had happened in the last few years had forever irrevocably altered her priorities. She had grown up. She still cared for Stefan, he was a good person who had helped her at a time in her life when it was sorely necessary but she was no longer the girl who had once run scared through a cemetery and fallen into his arms.

'Would you do that for me?' he asked her, cutting into her thoughts. Her guilt was eating away at her so much that the question painted her face with confusion.

'Wait', Stefan clarified, drawing her down to sit by him, 'will you wait until things settle before you do anything … rash?' Elena looked at him and felt her heart break a little. How could she refuse him, after all that they had been through? She couldn't bear to hurt him and the lump in her throat became impossible to swallow so she simply nodded. He smiled with relief. 'Thank you', he replied and then a new idea crossed his face. 'Oh and I brought this for you', he continued, making her feel even worse. He reached into his pocket and then opened his palm to her. On it was a necklace, similar in style to her old one but clearly new.

The sight filled her with sadness. He wanted her to remember their time together when he gave her the first one, before she even knew what he was, when they were just two high schoolers in love. It seemed an almost childish thought at this time. She thought of how moved she had been with Damon's simple offer of the use of his shower earlier. It had been perfectly judged. Not overpowering or a form of blackmail, thoughtful and most of all exactly what she had needed at the time. This seemed like a clumsy, boyish first attempt at a relationship.

It struck her that that's what Stefan was, a boy. Despite years of experience he would never quite age the extra couple of years that would have taken him into adulthood. It was enough to bring tears to her eyes but he was so sweet and caring that she didn't know how to tell him. Perhaps he could have become the man for her but he had never been given that chance and she would never know. In the extra months that she had lived beyond him she had already outgrown hm.

Damon, however, had made full use of his extra few years, gaining a maturity and confidence that made him a man. He had develpoed a certain insight and understanding of people that set him apart from his brother. Elena suddenly realised that this was a recurring pattern. When she was with Stefan she was mostly thinking about Damon and when she was with Damon Stefan barely entered her head.

'Don't you like it?' Stefan's voice roused her.

'Oh', Elena cleared her throat and tried to keep her voice even. 'Yes … yes of course. Thank you', she replied quickly, taking it and looking at it as it lay awkwardly in her hand.

'I just thought since you didn't have your old one anymore …'

'Wearing this would always keep you in my head', Elena finished in her head wryly. Out loud she simply said, 'Yes, thank you.' Stefan smiled for a moment then he seemed to decide not to push his luck any further.

'I'm sorry', he grinned, 'were you getting ready to go to bed? You must be exhausted'. Elena nodded gratefully as he got to his feet. 'I'm glad we had this talk Elena. I'm glad we had any talk that didn't finish in yelling', he attempted to joke. She forced a smile and before she knew it he had closed the distance between them and pulled her into a hug. She stiffened for a moment, surprised, then a wave of nostalgia and the reassuring feeling of his strong body caused her to relax against him briefly. Quickly he pulled back but he looked pleased.

'Goodnight', he kissed her forehead.

'Goodnight', she nodded. Then he was gone.

The second he disappeared she collapsed onto the bed and scrunched her fists into her eyes. This was excruciating. She knew that she was living on borrowed time and she would soon have to hurt someone that she cared about. There was nothing she could do to stop it. She rolled onto her stomach and groaned loudly into the sheets when suddenly her earlier plan came back to her.

Gratefully she pushed the guilt ridden encounter with Stefan to the back of her mind and raced for the door. She listened for a long time to hear if Stefan was moving around but all she could hear was silence. She crept from the room and tiptoed down the stairs until she reached the dresser where this all began. She glanced furtively around for a moment to ensure that she was alone then she reached out and let her fingers wander along the edge of the books just like the first time. Slowly she closed her eyes and immersed herself in thoughts of Damon. She imagined his lean, perfect chest, his angel's face and those bright blue eyes piercing her through the heart.

Then the sensation began and the fog shifted in her mind. Suddenly she was once again pinned against the bookcase, Damon's lips trailing up her neck in a sinfully erotic path to her cheek. Then he was pulling back whispering, 'Wait. Brief pause.' That was when Katherine's inner voice roared to life, flaring with the same arrogance that Elena had felt in Damon's bedroom, the same disbelief that someone could not find her irresistible. She roughly pushed Damon off of her and Elena felt a wrench at the loss of contact. He staggered backwards, shirt still open, his bare chest gleaming in the firelight. His face had become like his human face again, devastated yet hopeful and his voice hitched when he finally spoke.

He spoke a lot. And it was honest and true. His heart had been cracked open and lay vulnerable and free for her to take if she wanted it. He cast aside all games and told her how he felt. Even now he still loved her; he would still have reunited with her. So great was his love, so capable was he of devotion that 145 years of deception had not quenched it. This was Katherine's first appearance she thought sickly, not long after she had kissed him and made him think it was Elena, still playing games. This was the first time that he had found out that she had allowed him to suffer for over a century thinking that she was dead but before any of her latest transgressions. And still he would have taken her back if she had only given him what he desperately needed: to be loved the most.

'All I want is the truth', he pleaded, his hands suddenly tender and desperate on her face, 'just once…'

Katherine's inner voice blistered with scorn and her malice bucked and looked for the best way to strike.

'Stop', she hushed him, her mind dancing with vicious delight. 'I already know your question and its answer. The truth is …' Elena couldn't stand it, she wanted to stop her, she wanted to put her hands over her ears but she could do nothing but watch and feel his devastation crash against her in waves. 'I've never loved you. It was always Stefan'. Elena felt the world stop. Those words were excruciatingly familiar, she had told him something almost identical. How could she have come up with words so close to Katherine's? A dead weight of dread began to form in her as she wondered if perhaps she had the potential for this level of manipulation and cruelty. Perhaps she was already, admittedly her words had not been designed to hurt him but ultimately she had delivered as crushing a blow as her doppelganger.

A panicky horror swept through her at this thought and she raised her eyes to Damon. She had never seen him in so much despair, his eyes shining with tears and his lip trembling. With a burning anguish she realised that this might even be the very night that she said the same words to him herself and she drowned in guilt. She couldn't have known but she now understood Damon's unhinged nature that night, what he had done Jeremy. It didn't excuse it but at least she understood it and it had long ago been forgiven. Nothing she could have said could have hurt him more.

She got one last glimpse of his heartbreak before Katherine began her victorious sashay towards the door but she knew that his expression of utter desolation would be burned onto her memory forever. Just as she thought that she couldn't take any more the world tilted again and the vision cleared.

Reality settled over her but as she came back to herself she was blindsided by a furious flood of thirst and a red fog descended over her vision. She lurched violently away from the dresser; fangs extended and eyes flaming red. She let out a snarl of hunger and her thoughts instantly dwindled to one scorching obsession. Blood.


	10. Chapter 10

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 10**

Thank you so much again for all the reviews and follows/favourites. I know I say it every time but I can't say it often enough. Once again, I don't own the vampire diaries or characters.

Elena's thirst was beyond burning. She managed, through her crimson tunnel vision, to stumble violently towards the basement. She leapt down the stairs, a distant voice warning her to keep quiet so that she would not give herself away and bring anyone running to stop her. However, she was sure that Stefan had gone hunting, otherwise he would have come running when she surfaced gasping and staggering from that awful memory. When she finally laid eyes on the chiller cabinet she was panting and salivating like a hungry dog, completely ravaged by thirst. The only thought that fought its way through the fog was the realisation that the chiller was secured by a large chain fastened tightly by a heavy combination padlock. A burst of rage flashed through her and she seized the chain. She appraised its weight and toughness then she attacked it viciously, pulling with savage strength and trying to break it loose. After an agonisingly long moment she gave up with a frustrated growl.

It was clear that the brothers had judged her newly turned strength accurately and chosen chains that she would never be able to break. Letting out an audible hiss she fell back against the old, damp brick wall of the basement passage and let her desperation form a plan. If she couldn't break the lock with her hands, perhaps she could break it with something else. Scrabbling along the wall of the dank and dirty passage she reached a musty storage area where a haphazard pile of garden implements had been half-heartedly cleared away, perhaps from when Zach was still growing vervain. Yes, there were still a few bottles of the burning liquid on a shelf that hung precariously from the wall. After shuffling through the tools she came across an old shovel. It was old and rusted but the metal edge was still sharp. It might be able to make a dent in the Salvatore's fortifications. Her bloodlust was too all encompassing for her to consider how she would ever explain this to Stefan and Damon but she assured herself that this was a problem for later. Right now all she needed was a mouthful of the sweet red liquid that was so close yet still so far.

Stifling a giggle of triumph she raised the shovel and brought it hammering into the lock against the lid of the chiller. It left a small dent and a dull clang resounded through the basement. She was too thirsty now to care about anyone hearing her. She was almost there. With a crazed joy she raised the shovel again and brought it down with all her strength, squeezing her eyes shut and looking forward to the dull metallic ring that would signify that she was a step closer to her goal. But all she heard was silence. In a haze of anger and confusion she realised that the shovel had stopped mid swing and never reached its intended target. Snarling, she opened her eyes and saw the dark figure standing in front of her, his hand still on the shovel handle where he had grabbed it and stopped its descent dead.

'Damon!' she hissed.

'I leave you alone for a couple of hours and this is what happens?' he asked her dryly but there was no humour in his eyes. They were positively livid with fury in his dark, otherwise blank face. His dangerously expressionless countenance managed to make an impression on Elena and she faltered for just a moment before her own rage reeled within her and pushed her into an even blinder state of frenzy. She wrenched the shovel back from his hand and brought it down again, aiming a fierce blow at his head. He was no longer her friend, the man who had been her lifeline for so long; he was just the barrier standing between her and what she wanted, what she needed.

The shovel didn't connect. Damon leapt to the side in the nick of time and it once more rebounded off the side of chiller. Before Elena could raise her weapon again, Damon was gone. He moved like a phantom, so much more practised than Elena at speed and combat. Even if her senses and reflexes had not been swamped by the powerful bloodlust, she would still have been no match for him. Before she knew it he was behind her and he latched onto her wrists with an iron grip. He squeezed until she thought she heard bone grinding on bone but she kept hold of the shovel, jabbing it uselessly over her shoulders in a vain attempt to shake him off.

'Drop it', he commanded, his voice strong and angry, 'I don't want to hurt you Elena, now drop it!' With a scream of poisonous fury Elena tossed the shovel away from her with all her strength but made sure that the force was enough to upset Damon's balance. He didn't want to break her wrists so his hold had loosened slightly as soon as the shovel left her hands but he was not prepared for the on-going forward momentum with which her arms continued to move. His stance wobbled ever so slightly and Elena was out of his grip like an eel. She turned on him, shooting a violent kick to his stomach which sent him staggering along the passage, eyes wide with shock and pain but he kept his feet.

She turned frantically to grasp the shovel again but like lightening he was back on her. This time he was taking no chances and he wrapped his arms around her whole body from behind, crossing her arms over her chest and securing her against him as tightly as possible. They crashed into the brick wall hard enough to send dust erupting from the ancient mortar, his body heavily crushing her into the cold damp stone.

'Stop!' he hissed angrily, his lips right next to her ear. 'You've been doing so well, don't lose it now!' This only served to send a fresh wave of rage through her, only this time it was sharpened by utter desolation. She needed the blood so badly it was way beyond controlling. It was the most horrific feeling she had ever experienced, as if she was being torn apart from the inside. She was sure she would die if she didn't get to the blood soon. Damon was killing her. Furious tears sprang to her face which was already twisted beyond recognition in her torment and, with a Herculean effort, she managed to raise one of her legs. Bracing it against the wall she gave an almighty push and sent them careering down the passage.

Damon had learned his lesson and showed no mercy in his grip, his arms remaining locked around her like a vice. As one, they ricocheted off either side of the passage, Elena's legs pumping manically, trying to kick him hard enough to let her go until they tumbled through the open door of the cell that was hidden away in the bowels of the house. Chains still hung ominously from the ceiling and Damon vaguely remembered his time here, slowly starving and wasting away although it seemed so long ago now. A different Damon. He was sharply reminded of what Elena was going through and remembered exactly how desperate she must be, and how dangerous this might make her. There was still a dilapidated cot against the wall, its legs thick with rust, a paltry mattress and moth eaten rag of a blanket spread on top. Damon hoisted Elena up high in the air then brought her down hard on her back on the cot, a cloud of dust spewing from the mattress beneath her. The impact knocked the air from her body and for a moment she lay still with shock. He pressed himself on top of her, hearing a worrying creak from the neglected cot and trapped her hands on either side of her head by the wrists. She bucked uselessly and gave an incoherent screech.

'Elena', he tried to hush her, 'Just try ... try to control it', he murmured quietly, desperately trying to calm her. She let out a strangled sob.

'Please', she wailed as her struggling slowed and she became easier to hold onto. She turned and managed to lift her eyes to meet his and he could see her fight to regain the focus. 'Please', her voice was a whisper now.

'I can't, I can't give you any now', he told her plainly, his heart swelling with regret but his voice staying strong. 'You're so far gone that you'd lose yourself. Try and calm down first, stop fighting me and you can have a little. I promise', he gasped from the exertion of holding her still. She looked at him pleadingly but her face remained desperate and hungry. Damon was caught in her gaze, he couldn't look away. Her frightened, anguished eyes were cutting straight to the centre of his being and he loved her so much that he physically ached. The possibility of losing her, losing the person that she had been to this monster gave him a fright that he could not have anticipated and he stared determinedly into her eyes trying to find her.

His face was only inches from hers and she could feel the closeness of him like an electric buzz all over her skin but it only fuelled her bloodlust and drove her conscience further into oblivion. She was running on pure instinct now, nothing in her head was coherent. She would do anything to taste just a mouthful of life and she was too desperate to have any qualms about her actions now. In fact there was absolutely no room in her brain to examine the morality behind her behaviour. It was simply a matter of survival.

'Damon', she whispered roughly, straining her neck to bring her head up closer to his. 'Damon, please do this for me?' she breathed and then she placed a hot kiss beneath his ear. She felt his body quake on top of her but the obvious shock was not enough to loosen his grip.

'Elena stop', he growled as she began to follow his jawline with kisses that managed to be both slow and urgent at the same time. Damon felt his willpower cave slightly at her soft and wonderful touch. As she drew closer to his lips, all protests dried on his tongue. Her mouth only managed to touch his for the briefest of seconds but in that second he was jolted back to reality and overcome with the sickening wrongness of this. With great effort he wrenched his lips from hers, his head collapsing to the mattress over her shoulder. She had already twisted in his grip and was nuzzling his ear, whispering urgently. 'Please Damon, I need it, please it hurts.' Her words were like a stake through his heart as he realised how transparent her motives were and his lust began to melt into anger. He yanked his head back out of her reach.

'Elena stop, this won't work!' he shouted viciously, raising her hands and slamming them back onto the mattress to get her attention. The impact was stronger than he had expected and with a final splintering creak, the legs on the cot gave way and the mattress dropped to the ground with a bone jarring impact. It was all Elena needed to get the upper hand, her arms were free and she wound them around Damon's neck, pushing and turning him over so that she was on top of him, straddling his waist.

'But I'm so thirsty', she howled and in one quick flick of her wrists she had torn his shirt open and her nails were digging into his skin. A strangled groan of intense pleasure escaped him and for a moment he was too shocked and drunk with desire to stop her as she ran her hands roughly across his stomach and up over his chest to grasp his shoulders. Then she swooped down, her tongue tracing his sternum making its way towards his lips again. Damon had never wanted anybody like this before; she was igniting a fire in him. He loved her so much but this moment transcended even that, he craved her touch almost as much as she craved blood and the animal within him roared, begging for realease. Her tight body moulding itself to his chest was almost enough to break him as her lips reached his again. There was so much obsession in one room, so much blinkered need that it was dangerous. It made the air thick and choking and consequences seem so very far away. Elena had succumbed to hers so completely that he barely recognised her now. It would be disastrous if he lost himself as well.

As he realised this, Elena suddenly found herself launched across the room like a rag doll where she hit the wall sending cracks through the brickwork and jangling the rusty chains that dropped out of the dark shadows that skittered over the ceiling. Before she could fall back to the ground he was on his feet, catching her and slamming her against the stone. Her arms splayed against the wall keeping her balance and set the chains swinging even more erratically.

'God damn it Elena!' he shouted furiously, 'after everything we've done for you, everything I've done for you', his voice began to rasp. 'At least try to fight this and quit torturing me? You're better than this!' He fleetingly thought of all the times that _he_ had heard those words. It was mostly from her. Was this how frustrated she felt every time he slipped up and gave in to his reckless, destructive urges he wondered. His eyes burned into hers as the fight went out of her body and her face slipped into a dangerously coy smile.

'Damon I never wanted to torture you'. Without him realising her legs had lifted on either side on him and were now draped invitingly over his hips, urging him into her. 'I just want to love you', she finished in a dazed gasp. The words were enough to make Damon freeze, his brain completely refusing to process a single thought. He was numb. Taking advantage of his lowered defences a ravenous grin spread over her face and she dragged him closer by the torn edges of his shirt

Then, finally, she was kissing him, haltingly at first, gauging his response and then more frantically. He was utterly powerless to refuse as his own desire flamed again from a flicker to an inferno deep within him. Her tongue begged for entry into his mouth and for a blessed second it seemed that reality had been suspended so he opened up to her, kissing her passionately without any thought of the consequences. He fell against her, his hands grabbing her ass and hiking her further up the wall. Her arms flailed as he took control then they latched desperately onto the chains that still hung around them, tugging them urgently to release some of the tension that was pulsing through her. For that second he teased himself with what he wanted so badly, pretended it was real and that she had really chosen him, admitted that she loved him and was giving herself to him with her whole heart. For that second he felt like he had tasted heaven.

Then suddenly she writhed underneath him, deliberately thrusting her hips forwards. She wrapped her legs fully around his waist and ground into him. As much as it excited him and made him even harder than he already was, something clicked in a far removed part of his brain and he realised that this manoeuvre was not what he would have expected. He turned them around to lean his back against the wall as he struggled to find some control. It didn't seem like _her_ and the truth of the situation descended on him heavily. She was not herself right now. It wasn't right like this. When she finally gave herself to him he wanted it to be happily and wholeheartedly with no doubts, no regrets. He had a feeling that this was already shaping up to be a pretty monumental regret. All he wanted, what he wanted the most out of all the all the years of his existence was to make love to Elena, his Elena. If he allowed this to go any further he knew that that was not what he would be doing. However, as the power of thought slowly began to return to him she surprised him yet again.

Her arms, which had braced themselves on the ancient hanging chains, gave a sudden pull and before Damon knew what had happened, the cold, corroded metal was biting into the skin of his chest and she had leapt away from him like a cat. The chain was run through an eyelet in the ceiling and she tugged fiercely on it, pulling it tight across him and lashing him to the wall. With vicious force she punched the hand that was holding the end of the chain into the wall, embedding it in the damp, slimy stone. Once the chain was implanted in the rock, she tugged her hand free and let out a demented howl of victory. She knew that the chain would not stay attached for very long, it was no match for Damon's strength but it was enough for what she had planned.

While he clawed his bonds with a look of utter shock and dismay, she raced from the cell. In the moment it took her to do so, Damon's hearing dwindled away to the dull roar of rage in his ears. He snarled as he grasped the chain and gave it an almighty yank. It exploded from the wall in a cloud of brick dust and he tossed it to the ground. He started towards Elena, eyes fiery, his face dark and truly terrifying. His expression alone should have been enough to make her falter but it didn't even seem to register in her. He thundered forward but just as he was about to reach her, she slammed the door in his face sending him reeling back into the cell.

'Elena!' he bellowed as she disappeared and he threw himself against the wood trying to force the door, but she had already fastened the heavy metal latch. 'Come back, you don't know what you're doing!' he spat. He didn't expect his words to work but almost immediately she reappeared at the little window in the door. 'You have to stop!' he barked, throwing his weight against the door again.

'I can't' she hissed, then she brought her hand up and he saw the bottle of vervain clutched in her fingers just in time to jump back from the door. She smashed it against the bars of the window. Glass shattered and the contents of the bottle ran down the inside of the door, splashing across the wood and the door handle, effectively making it untouchable to him. She let out a yowl of pain as it spattered her hand in the process and she drew back from the door, out of his sight.

'Elena listen to me', he cried, 'Just stop for a damn minute and listen to me!' But she was gone. He got as close to the little window as he possibly could and it just afforded him a view of her lifting the shovel again and beating the chilller with a vehemence that was frightening. There was no point in pleading with her now, she couldn't even hear him. He could only look on with grim disappointment and regret.

It didn't take long for her to realise that she couldn't break either the chiller or the lock with the shovel and she threw it like a javelin at the wall where it snapped in half and clattered uselessly to the floor.

'Elena', Damon decided to try one last time. 'This isn't you'. He said through gritted teeth, 'I know the real you, I know that you're in there somewhere. You are the girl that couldn't bear to kill a rabbit, who chose an eternity of uncertainty to save her little brother from being alone. You are the girl who looked inside the monster that I was and saw the man I used to be. I thought he was gone but because you saw him ... I started seeing him again too.' He paused for a moment, his face clouded but eyes still full of sincerity. He looked at her so intensely that she stopped in her tracks and stared at him, mesmerised. 'Just stop and concentrate. Talk to me, if you let me I can help you', he cajoled her in a firm and commanding voice. For a moment she stood as if she was lost, her face vacant and her eyes completely absent. She cocked her head to one side quizzically as she looked at him. Then all of a sudden she was gone, her footsteps echoing on the basement steps. It happened so fast that Damon didn't process it completely until he heard the large front door of the boarding house slam shut. Then there was complete, suffocating silence.

Totally in control once more, Damon cursed himself for being so stupid. How could he have let this happen? How could he have been taken in by that shameless little routine? A black, masochistic part of him whispered the reply: 'because you wanted to. Because you wanted so badly for it to be real'. As he rampaged back and forth in the cell, tossing the cot and chains against the walls over and over again he wryly admitted that he had to hand it to Elena. She saw his weakness and pounced on it with fervour. He wouldn't have thought it possible but she had completely taken him in. Even though he could rationally explain her behaviour as a product of her bloodlust he couldn't get the feel of her body tight against his and her eager kiss out of his head. The fact that it had all been a lie left him feeling hurt and strangely empty. He had promised himself that he would never let this happen to him again.

All of a sudden he heard the door of the boarding house open and close. He dashed to the door and began shouting for attention. He grabbed the leg from the cot and started beating it against the bars of the window to make even more noise. Quickly, a light flooded the steps to the basement and Stefan's silhouette appeared.

'What the hell is going on?' he gasped hurrying down into the passage. He gazed incredulously through the little window at his brother. 'What happened here?'

'Elena happened here', Damon answered gravely, 'She's slipperier than I gave her credit for.' Stefan swiftly removed the latch and swung the door open, snatching his hand back as a splinter of the vervain soaked wood embedded itself in his skin. He gave a short grunt of pain as he pulled it out then returned his focus to his brother.

'Vervain? You mean she outfoxed _you_?' Stefan asked with a glint of amusement in his eye. 'How did she manage that?'

'It doesn't matter', Damon snapped, already heading for the stairs.

'Where are you going?' Stefan called after him.

'To find her', Damon shouted over his shoulder in return. At once Stefan was at his side.

'What do you mean find her? She left the boarding house? Damon how could you let that happen?' he panicked.

'Me?!' Damon exclaimed stopping and squaring up to his brother. 'What the hell were you thinking leaving her alone here?'

'I don't .. she didn't', Stefan stammered before finally being able to form a coherent sentence. 'She was going to bed, I thought she would be asleep in a minute and I needed to hunt – she looked so tired. I never thought...'

'No you didn't, did you', Damon cut him off, 'You don't remember telling any little fibs when you were looking for your next trip to the bloodbank brother? You of all people should have known to be careful', he needled him. Stefan raised his head, puffing himself up ready for an argument but Damon turned from him and started for the door again.

'We don't have time for this now, we have to find her', he stated gruffly. Stefan hated to agree with him but he was right. He followed Damon into the garden where they both had the same instinct to sniff the air and try to capture Elena's scent. It turned out to be almost unnecessary however as the trail of destruction that Elena had left in her wake was as obvious as a neon arrow. The trees were broken, woodland flowers beheaded and the grass scuffed where she had been. Her scent was strong against the bruised leaves and the brothers set off after her as fast as they could.

As they ran, they passed the remains of a fox lying in the undergrowth, its throat slashed and whatever blood was left seeping into the earth below.

'Maybe that will have been enough to bring her back to her senses?' Stefan suggested as they rushed through the encroaching, snapped branches.

'You didn't see her', Damon replied bleakly, 'that won't even have made a dent'.

The smell of her was getting stronger now and the brothers braced themselves for what they would find. They could hear the gentle burbling of a stream somewhere nearby then all at once the trees thinned and opened out onto a little clearing by the water. It was an idyllic spot with soft grass and pretty flowers along the treeline which sloped down to the rocks by the edge of the stream. The water looked black in the darkness. Damon felt his stomach constrict as he took in the scene in the middle of the clearing.

Near the shelter of the trees were two tents, one red and one blue. In front of them the remains of a fire were still smouldering amid the charred grass and a cooler packed with beer bottles sat nearby. The cooler was splattered with blood and the canvas of the blue tent was torn from top to bottom, the ragged edges flapping in the breeze. In the doorway of the red tent two girls and a young man wearing a college sweater where huddled together, crying and holding on to each other as if their lives depended on it. They were all staring at the middle of the clearing where Elena stood. Her face and clothes were smeared with copious amounts of blood rendering her a vision from a nightmare. In her arms she was supporting the slack form of a second young man whose neck was now a sticky red mess. Stefan flinched from the smell of the fresh blood, his pupils widening with desire but he swallowed hard and swiftly moved to place himself between Elena and the three frightened campers. Both he and Damon knew that he could not get any closer to her without his own demons awakening at the promise of fresh torture.

Damon slowly circled around Elena, keeping her attention away from the man in her arms. He noted distantly that he was clutching weakly at his neck and muttering incomprehensibly so at least he was still alive. Damon edged closer to her holding up his hands in a gesture of peace.

'Elena, let him go', he warned her firmly, 'Believe me, you'll hate yourself in the morning'. His expression remained untouched by humour. She looked at him with the same curious expression that she had done in the basement then with the speed of a cobra, she sunk her fangs back into the man's neck.

'No!' shouted Stefan and he leapt forward but stopped short, his nostrils flaring and stomach growling as he got closer to the source of the blood. He stood helplessly, unable to go a step further or think of a way to stop Elena without hurting her. He called her name again but she paid no attention and continued to feed voraciously. The man's arm hung limp and still now. Elena was groaning with satisfaction as the hot, spurting blood flooded her mouth. She had no idea it could taste this much better fresh. She swallowed as much as she possibly could, her thirst rejoicing in an explosion of heart shattering ecstasy. As she hit the peak of her rapture she suddenly felt a crushing pressure constrict her whole body. Everything around her flashed in and out of colour and the forest suddenly blinked out of existence.

All at once she was standing in a room. It was modern and expensive with luxurious furnishings that were just on the right side of tasteful. She was pacing by the window, glancing edgily at the phone that sat next to the bed. Then she heard the voice, Katherine's voice once again, but this time it was not speaking in sentences like it had before, it was more a generally buzzing feeling of irritable impatience. This was different, Elena realised. Not only was the voice different, there was a strange kind of immediacy to this vision that was not like the previous ones. It seemed more vibrant, the colours all a little too blinding. What was wrong? Elena thought anxiously, what was the difference?

Suddenly she was distracted as Katherine stood up again with an angry huff of breath. Elena could feel her jumpy inability to sit still as she prowled across the room and tossed herself onto the bed. She idly shifted aside a pile of magazines and selected one which she knew she would not read for any more than a second. Elena, on the other hand was completely entranced. She was not looking at the magazine but at the newspaper that had been in the pile below it. It was a copy of the San Francisco Chronicle but her eyes were drawn to the smaller print, beneath the headline. It was the date. It was today's date. Her mind swirled with incredulity, horror creeping through her. This wasn't a memory at all. This was happening now. She was inside Katherine's head right now. As soon as the massive realisation crashed over her, the phone began to ring and Katherine's voice lit up in a symphony of relief.

However, before Elena could listen to anything further she had the thundering feeling that she had been hit by a torpedo. An intense pain seared through her shoulder and suddenly she was falling through the air. She landed on her back and gazed up, disoriented by the huge light that loomed over her. Then she realised that it was the moon. She was back in the clearing but she was lying on her back, staring up at the night sky. For a moment she felt almost peaceful. The shock had jolted some sense into her and now the glut of human blood seeped gratifyingly into her system clearing her mind and making her feel like herself again. She was dazed but as she became aware of her surroundings again she realised that she was in tremendous pain, the top of her right arm felt like it was on fire. She turned her head slowly and gaped, unable to believe what she saw. A long length of tree branch impaled her completely through the shoulder, her blood spilled onto the grass and she could see the glistening pink of muscle peeking through her torn clothes around the edges of the splintered wood. A rush of nausea overcame her and she whipped her head away, turning to her left. Immediately she wished she hadn't.

On her left she came face to face with the lifeless expression of a man who lay with his cheek embedded in the mud. His eyes were closed and his skin was white in the moonlight which only made the splattered blood on chin and forehead look black. In one flash she remembered the man, she remembered the campsite, she remembered everything. And she began to scream.


	11. Chapter 11

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 11**

Sorry everyone! I was on holiday for a bit there which is why it has taken me so long to post this. However, you are getting two chapters tonight in the hope that this makes up for it! Thanks again to everyone who is reading, I really hope you are enjoying it,

I don't own the Vampire Diaries or characters. This is purely for fun.

Elena was transfixed by the crumpled body lying in the mud next to her, so horrified that she didn't realise that the awful screaming sound in the air was coming from her own lips. Then the moon above her was gone and a severe face hovered in its place, silencing the shriek in her throat. She blinked in confusion as Damon's eyes flickered back and forth across her body assessing the damage. He gingerly touched the tree branch and at once Elena's whole body convulsed in pain causing him to draw back immediately. Her brain raced trying to figure out what had happened. She wondered why Damon seemed so calm. Where was her attacker? Had Damon already despatched him?

Suddenly a distant, disembodied voice rang through the cleaning, angry and desperate.

'Why did you do that?!' Stefan, she thought instantly. She would know his voice anywhere. Damon didn't even glance sideways when he replied, all his attention was focussed on Elena. She noticed with a twinge of fear that his eyes were almost black and his brows creased in gritted resolution.

'I had to', he answered, his voice eerily steady, 'I'd never have got her off of him quickly enough to give him a chance any other way'.

'But you could have killed her! What if you had hit her heart?' Stefan growled. A shadow of a smirk flitted across his brother's face.

'My aim is better than yours, brother' he replied and then the truth crashed in on Elena. Damon had attacked her. It was Damon who had speared her like a hunting trophy … and he had probably saved this man's life in doing so. Then he looked up sharply and threw out a protective arm. 'Stay back', he snapped, 'you're practically drooling as it is. Come any closer and you'll just be a sniff away from a relapse.' Elena couldn't turn her head away from the lifeless body to look but Stefan must have retreated without any further complaint, because Damon was suddenly on one knee at her side. His arms were sliding gently under her back and raising her up to lean against him. Every movement shifted the wood in her shoulder and she was sure that she could feel every splinter tearing into her flesh. Tears of pain were already streaking her blood-stained cheeks.

Damon had just begun to lift her when she started weakly shaking her head and a feeble hand grasped his wrist.

'No', she whispered faintly, 'Not me ... him first' and her arm flailed to indicate the man next to her. With a faint grumbling in his throat, he lowered her softly back to the ground and in a second he was leaning over the man. There was a muffled crunch as he sunk his fangs into his own wrist then he pushed it to the man's lips. For a moment nothing happened, then the battered figure emitted a low groan and stirred slightly. Damon snatched his hand back and studied the man for a moment before he seemed to lose interest completely and he stepped back to Elena.

'But he's not finished, he's still unconscious', Elena sobbed shakily.

'It's enough', Damon replied flatly. 'The hospital can take it from here. The less there is in his system the better. We don't want any more little accidents'. She opened her mouth to protest but he simultaneously hauled her carefully up into a sitting position, her back leaning against his chest as he knelt behind her, and the words were lost. The pain in her shoulder was beginning to drive all other thoughts from her head but she trusted Damon's word that the man would be all right.

'Ok', Damon whispered evenly in here ear, 'You might want to bite down on something. This might sting just a little'. Then before she had time to process his intentions he grasped the branch and yanked it sharply from her body. The howl of agony that echoed around the clearing was so piercing that Damon felt like he had physically experienced the pain himself and he shuddered. He held her thrashing body tightly for a moment in grim silence. After the initial explosion of burning agony, Elena was astounded to feel the healing begin almost immediately. There was a crawling sensation, almost as if her body was alive with ants, as her skin and flesh knitted itself back together at an unbelievable speed. In a matter of seconds the pain began to recede and within a minute it had evaporated completely. She rolled her shoulder carefully from one side to the other and it was almost as if nothing had ever happened.

Damon sensed from her sudden stillness that the worst was over and slowly his grip loosened. She felt him let out a breath that he had been holding and for a brief moment he allowed her to simply lie in his arms. She gratefully closed her eyes, enjoying the comfort of his touch, which somehow anchored her to the possibility that everything might just be all right.

'Are you ok?' he finally breathed into her hair. She swallowed hard and nodded, realising that her fingers were fisted into the material of his shirt sleeves and she hastily let them go.

'We have to go then', he told her plainly. 'We need to get you home before anything else happens.' Elena would normally have argued but she had caused so much trouble this evening that she only felt a crushing wave of guilt. He was right.

'Ok', she whispered, scrubbing her hand across the mingled blood and tears on her cheeks. He got to his feet, pulling her up along with him. Her whole body seemed to be taut and running at full capacity after all the blood she had just imbibed and it was almost too much. She felt slightly drunk and she swayed on her feet a little until Damon clamped an arm around her shoulders, holding her steady.

It was only now that she looked up and saw Stefan standing, stricken, 10 feet away from her. She could see that the horror and regret in his face was mixed with the continuing fight against the siren call of the blood that was spattered all around the clearing. With embarrassment Elena realised that she was also covered in it from head to toe.

'Elena', he implored, 'I'm sorry, I didn't know ... I thought you were asleep...' he trailed off pitifully. He took a step forward as if to embrace her and he looked so dejected that she opened her arms to let him but almost immediately he stopped as if he had hit an invisible wall. His nostrils flared and his pupils dilated as he staggered back gasping then his fangs extended and his eyes became lost in a sea of red veins. Damon steered Elena firmly backwards, placing himself in front of her.

'Stefan!' he exclaimed thunderously and Elena felt a belated twinge of fear as she buried herself further into his side.

'I'm sorry', Stefan held his hands up in surrender, backing away. 'Elena, I'm sorry'.

'It's a bit beyond apologies now', Damon snapped. 'You can't come near her til she gets this blood cleaned off. I'm taking her home, you take care of those three', he nodded towards the cowering college students, one of whom was timidly trying to crawl out of the tent to attend to their injured friend.

'Damon!' gasped Elena. He sighed and turned his eyes to the sky in exasperation.

'I mean compel them', he clarified in an irritated voice. 'Make them think their friend was attacked by ... oh ... let's say a bear.' He glanced down at Elena's petite frame for a moment. 'A very small bear', he added. 'Then remind them to call an ambulance. Got it? They're three scared kids, even you should be able to handle that!' At his brother's patronising goading Stefan's face gradually hardened until it was set like rock. His body tensed aggressively but he knew that there was no time to fight now.

'Yes', he replied through gritted teeth, 'It's done'. He paused for a second and looked desperately into Elena's eyes once more, but she couldn't bear the guilt in them, not on top of her own and she stared intently at the forest floor.

'Stay away from him', Damon warned, nodding his head in the direction of the injured man who still lay twisted and broken in the mud, his clothes caked with blood. 'Compel then get out'. Stefan nodded furiously but offered no further protest as Damon tightened his grip of Elena and led her from the clearing.

She could walk on her own without any problem now and her shoulder was completely healed. There was only a little residual dizziness, no more that her last trip to the fair but Damon's solid, dependable body pressed against her made her feel stronger so she made no move to disentangle herself from him. Like a rock at the eye of a storm she clung to him like her life depended on it, revelling in the calmness that he brought to her.

When she had left the boarding house it felt like she had run for hours before stumbling onto the clearing but the return trip took no more than a few minutes. She shuddered at how completely out of control she had been, how completely removed from reality. A flash of the fox that was not quite fast enough to dart out of her path flashed into her mind, she could still feel the fur pressed against her face as she drank the poor creature dry. She closed her eyes tightly and physically shook her head to dispel the memory. She wanted to pull herself even closer to Damon but by then they had emerged from the trees at the boarding house.

Elena felt a physical loss like a coldness creeping up her side as he removed himself from her and she braced herself against fresh tears that threatened to spill. He opened the door and waited for her to enter. Always the gentleman. Walking on her own she suddenly felt a little shaky, missing his steadying presence, but she moved one foot determinedly in front of the other until she was in the living room. When she saw the fire still burning she realised that she was freezing and hurried immediately into the circle of heat emanating from the flames, her eyes getting lost in their fiery dance.

For a minute she tried to think of nothing else, letting her shredded nerves calm a little and the buzzing tension melt slightly away. Here in the familiar warmth of this room the events in the clearing could almost have been a bad dream. But they weren't. She couldn't let herself think that way. They had to be a lesson to make sure that it never happened again. Something was nudging her elbow and she looked up to see Damon offering her a glass of bourbon. She drank it without hesitation and felt the burning liquid spread through her, warming and soothing her from the inside. She sighed gratefully, reflecting again on how he always seemed to know exactly what she needed. She nodded gratefully at him but he remained expressionless standing next to her, unnervingly still, so she let her eyes wander back to the fire. Her mind began to work over her actions that night and was eventually sensible enough to contemplate their full weight.

'I could have killed him', she finally said aloud, more to herself than to Damon. 'One more minute and ... If you hadn't ...'

'But you didn't and I did', Damon interrupted her sharply. The sound of his voice was oddly foreign and she realised suddenly that he had barely spoken to her since the clearing. She looked at him carefully and felt increasingly uncomfortable as he avoided meeting her eye. Her stomach plummeted as she realised what the strange note in his voice had been: It was disappointment. He was disappointed in her and it made her feel so miserable that her eyes stung with yet more tears.

'I'm sorry', she told him in a small, pathetic voice, 'I'm so sorry'. She reached for his arm, suddenly desperate for him to look at her but he sprang away like he had been stung. When he whipped around to face her, the hurt in his eyes was so deep he could barely conceal it. For a moment indignation coiled within her. He was judging her? With his corpse littered past stretching behind him like an alley of death, he had the audacity to judge her? She felt her small hands ball into fists.

'Damon please!' she exclaimed, her face startled and angry. He turned away from her and started to walk from the room but she sprang forward and grabbed his arm, forcibly turning him back to her. 'What do you think you're doing? You're playing the martyr now? Now? You killed my brother, you tried to lure me away from your own brother for the simple reason that he wanted me, you killed his best friend, you slept with Rebecca ... you've gone rogue more times than I can count. I think you can forgive me attacking one stranger!' she shouted, her tears finally spilling over.

'Elena I don't care that you attacked a stranger!' he suddenly exploded, wrenching his arm away from her. 'I don't care that you lost control you have an eternity to master that – I don't even care that you tried to hit me with a shovel!' he was leaning towards her now, his face angry and voice impassioned.

'Then why are you so mad at me!' she wailed, her voice hitching slightly in a sob.

'Because ...' he started in a yell but immediately his voice deflated and he stepped back, the fight going out of his body. 'I just ...' but his face was twisted in embarrassment and pain and he simply dropped into the armchair, defeated. As he did, she noticed for the first time that his shirt was undone. No, it had been ripped open. Then the whole lurid scene from the basement resurfaced like a serpent in her mind. She remembered the heat and the frenzy and the taste of his skin on her tongue. And she remembered that it had all been a lie. She had teased him and used him and cast him aside once she had got what she wanted. She knew that it was possibly the worst thing that she could have done to him but it hadn't even felt like her. Her whole body froze. It had been like someone else. It had been like Katherine, only this time the responsibility was hers and hers alone.

'Oh Damon', she breathed and immediately he brought a hand to his face, massaging his temples wearily. He knew exactly what she meant. 'Damon I'm so sorry ... I can't ... it wasn't me ...'

A pained expression crossed Damon's face and he rubbed his eyes.

'I know', he nodded quietly. 'It never is, is it?' she drew back a little, startled by this statement. She had never felt so awful and crippled with guilt and she didn't trust herself not to sob if she opened her mouth so when she finally spoke it was in a whisper.

'I was so out of control Damon, you don't understand. I know I need to be better at controlling it. You're always in control.'

'I'm not in control of how I feel about you', he stopped her angrily. 'I guess that's something I have to get better at too'', he finished bitterly. Her eyes widened as the meaning of his words sunk in.

'Damon', she gasped, her voice cracking. 'I swear I didn't mean it ...'

'Yes', he cut in again he voice raw and full of passion, 'Just like you didn't mean to lead me on all summer while we were looking for Stefan? Just like you didn't mean to give me the 'wrong idea' when you threw yourself at me in Denver? You never mean it Elena, but you still let it happen,' he finished, his voice becoming more heated. He rose from the armchair now and stood steadily before her while she stared mutely at him in bemusement. He turned the full power of his piercing blue eyes on her and she could no longer contain her tears. He hated it that when she cried it made him want to forgive her anything. He softened inside but managed to keep it from showing on the surface. He closed the distance between them and took her by the shoulders, looking deep into her glistening eyes. His hold was firm but not aggressive and it made Elena feel like a chastised child.

'One of these days you are going to have to mean it Elena', he told her firmly. 'Or else maybe it _will_ always be Stefan. You might not have a choice', he finished pointedly. It was almost as if the declaration was a long sigh, groaning under the perceived inevitability of his words. The implied threat hit her like a speeding train. She knew that he was right. She had buried her head in the sand for so long no that a tiny part of her thought that perhaps she could avoid it. Deep down perhaps she had chosen Stefan because she never really believed that Damon would leave, and then both of them would still always have been by her side. That vain, selfish part of her had always assumed that Damon loved her too much to desert her, but now she realised that she was wrong. It wasn't fair or right to expect that from him, she could see her horrendous selfishness now in its full light. It had to be him and only him in the end otherwise she would lose him eventually. It would be wrong for him to settle for anything less. She couldn't keep treating him like this. Just because he never really showed her his pain didn't mean that she wasn't breaking his heart every time she allowed him a sliver of hope. The deep guilt that flooded her forced a lump into her throat and she found that she could only nod briefly to show him that she understood. He returned her nod briefly then looked down at her clothes which were still stained a dark mauve. 'Better clean that up', he suggested, his voice soft now then in a burst of speed he disappeared upstairs.

Elena stayed rooted to the spot, stunned by their conversation. Then as the full weight of his words settled suffocatingly upon her she began to come apart. Sobs worked their way up her throat and tears flowed down her face. Everything was wrong and it was all her fault. Why couldn't she have made a decision months ago and saved them all this trauma? In a pique of self pity and regret she tore her bloodstained clothes off and tossed them viciously into the fire. She watched for a moment as the material began to spit and curl in upon itself and she wondered if perhaps everyone would be happier if Damon's branch had been a few inches to the left and she had ended up a pile of ashes herself. She wouldn't be able to hurt anyone then. But she quickly realised that this was futile. This situation with Stefan and Damon was her mess and she had to take responsibility for it.

She ran up the stairs in her underwear and locked herself in the tiny bathroom of the guest bedroom which she had managed to make into a home of sorts over the last day or two. She filled the sink with water while she haphazardly batted her hand around in the cabinet looking for soap, bottles clattering to the floor around her. She finally emerged with soap and a nailbrush and set to scrubbing her hands and then the rest of her body clean of the blood which was now sticking to her like tar. She sobbed helplessly as she noted that Damon hadn't offered her the use of his bathroom again. Something about that scared her, forced her to face the prospect of a life without Damon in it. Suddenly she dropped the soap as she realised that this was at the root of why she was so upset, this was the crux of the whole catastrophe. She couldn't. She simply couldn't imagine a life with no Damon. She couldn't make the concept fit into her head. She needed him, she realised as she pulled on a fresh T-Shirt and maybe she had already pushed him away one too many times. At this thought the tears surged back and with a strangled wail she tossed herself onto the bed and cried into the pillow.

Outside the room, Damon was listening. He had been listening from the moment he left her and he heard her crying. She cried and cried for almost an hour before she finally fell asleep, exhaustion winning her over at last. After the first 10 minutes he had come to her room to comfort her, the sound of her weeping was cutting through him like a knife, however, he had stopped himself outside her door and waited. As time passed he slid down the wall to sit on the carpet by her door, her sobbing a steady, painful rhythm in his ears. He couldn't go in now, he knew that. He had drawn his line in the sand and now things had to come to a head. It couldn't go on like this, it was tearing all three of them apart and there were far bigger issues at stake than the teenage, romance angst of two aged vampires who really should know better but were helpless before this one girl. So many times Damon had told himself just to leave, to give up but he couldn't. He had never loved anyone like this before. He couldn't explain it, he couldn't rationalise it, he could only feel it.

When at last her sobs melted into silence he pulled himself up to his feet. He turned to go back to his room but the inescapable temptation to sneak her door open a crack and peek in overwhelmed him. She was lying on her back, her body twisted in the sheets as though she had been writhing violently around. Her eyes were still red and puffy and her pillow was sodden with tears but there was a peace in her face now as she slept. Damon had never seen her like this before. Not even in all the time that Stefan had been missing had she cried like this, not even when Jenna died. He had never seen her so upset. He wondered if maybe he had got through to her, maybe, just maybe, these tears were for him. He cursed himself for the glimmer of hope that niggled at him and he found himself gliding silently across the carpet to her bedside.

He reached down gently and stroked her cheek. Could she have realised her feelings for him, was tonight perhaps the push she had needed? Her skin felt soft under his fingers and he yearned to crawl into the bed next to her. He was sure that he had felt a subtle shift in her tonight, as if she looked at him in a different light. A small smile tugged at his lips as he looked down at her slumbering form. He had done this before, a long time ago when he was more monster than man. He would never have believed then that things could be so different. It was all down to her. That was the real reason he loved her so much. She rekindled his humanity, right from the beginning and she reminded him of the person he had once been, the person that he missed so desperately.

All of a sudden there was a loud bang that shook the floorboards. Elena woke with a start and was possessed by the creeping feeling that there was a spider on her cheek. She shot into a sitting position swiping at her face but there was nothing there. The room was dark, still and empty. She looked around in confusion, wondering what noise had woken her when she realised that it had been the front door. Sure enough within a few seconds she heard raised voices drifting up from the living room. Stefan had clearly returned. She crept quietly to the door and inched it open so that she could discern the words of the argument below.


	12. Chapter 12

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 12**

I don't own the Vampire Diaries or characters. This is purely for fun.

'Where is she?' Stefan demanded angrily.

'Asleep, for real this time. I made sure', Elena heard Damon drawl. Her hand ghosted over her cheek for a moment then she shook her head and tip toed out of the door.

'What the hell were you doing tonight? I know you didn't want this for her, none of us did, but did you really want her dead?' he demanded, his voice forcefully hushed now. Elena edged along the landing until she reached the top of the stairs and she sunk to a sitting position at the top leaning against the bannister where she could hear everything.

'She was in no danger, she was barely six feet away from me Stefan!' Damon snapped, 'I could hit a target at 10 times that distance.'

'Anything could have happened', Stefan pressed. 'I thought you'd rather have her alive and hating you than dead?' Stefan bristled. There was the sound of a brief scuffle before Damon finally replied.

'Maybe, but I don't want her alive and hating herself. That's what would have happened if that idiot had died tonight.' Elena's heart stuttered as if it had been drowning and suddenly managed a gulp of air. Perhaps he had not given up on her yet. There was a long beat of silence.

'So this is personal growth then Damon?' Stefan asked sceptically.

'All's well that ends well, brother', Damon trilled darkly, 'Elena's fine, her supper is fine and the kids are fine. Why don't we just call this one a happy ending and get some sleep.'

'Because you are still here', Stefan spat, 'Damon, you promised!' Stefan sounded like a spoiled child. Elena sighed as the age-old argument continued to rage but just as she sleepily dropped her head against the rich smelling wood of the bannister there was a sharp burst of air as if she had been buffeted by some unseen force and then immediately everything was different. Elena tried to stagger to her feet but she could not. Once again this was not her own body.

Anxiety growled in the pit of her stomach at how easily the transitions occurred now. It was as if the line between past and present was getting increasingly blurred and it frightened her that she might not be able to tell the difference one day. Katherine's reality might become her own without her even realising it.

Her shudder of revulsion, however, was quickly dwarfed by awe when she looked up and saw a massive chandelier hanging from the high ceiling. The dusty boarding house was gone and in its place was a magnificent staircase, the bannister intricately designed and varnished to a high shine. The walls were a pure, pristine white and adorned with portraits all bearing the name Salvatore on their fancy gold frames. A huge stained glass window occupied the wall on the half landing and cast colourful reflections across the immaculately swept floor as the bright sun shone through.

This could only be the Salvatore mansion, Elena marvelled. This was what had lain beyond the door of the room in her previous vision. She was perched on the top step at the half landing, much like she had been in the boarding house but her legs were obscured beneath a voluminous gown made of pale green silk with lace and brocade decorating the bodice. She was also still listening to raised voices drifting up from the floor below. Then she heard Katherine come to life, slyly wrapping around her own consciousness like a boa constrictor. She was lively and joyful, listening to the argument with a veritable giggle of amusement.

'You need to be in better control of your affairs', a voice blustered ferociously and Elena instinctively felt herself shrink back from it.

'They are not my affairs, father', came the reply and Elena recognised Damon's rich tone immediately.

'The family's affairs then', continued the other voice harshly and Elena felt a stir of curiosity as she realised that this must be the infamous Mr Salvatore.

'I find it strange that I am only referred to as one of the family when you perceive some form of embarrassment in my actions', Damon replied, quiet and dangerous. 'I don't recall being welcomed into familial unity at any other time. Even when I returned this morning I was not greeted with open arms.'

'You are an ingrate that has squandered every opportunity that you have been afforded with your idleness', sneered the older Salvatore and Elena heard him move across the room sharply. 'We have a position in this community and a business that we depend on.'

'Those things do not last forever', Damon snapped.

'I agree. That is why I had a son', came the reply in an intimidating bark.

'You have two sons, father', Damon answered quickly and Elena could almost sense his father's indignation even though she could not see it. Damon, on the other hand, pressed on fearlessly. 'Stefan has been at your side all of his life and never been forced to prove himself as I have.'

'Stefan has nothing to prove. I know I can trust him, I would never question his devotion to this family and its reputation,' interrupted his father.

'I have been sent away from this house more often than I have been allowed to reside here ever since mother died,' Damon defended himself hotly. 'There have been schools, supposed business opportunities and then the army. While I will not lie by saying that I have not enjoyed my time in the world, I have been no more a part of this family than a stray dog that returns from time to time because it has nowhere else to go. Why do you wonder that I feel no loyalty to your family affairs?'

'Your ingratitude is disgusting, boy', Mr Salvatore choked out in his rage, ending Damon's rant. 'Your mother would weep to hear her name spoken in such a way. Can you even begin to fathom how disappointed she would be?' Damon was quiet for a second and when he finally spoke again his voice had completely changed. It was softer and more wistful and had an air of sadness that caught Elena completely off guard.

'I think that we both know that there is only one of us that would have brought her disappointment.' A pregnant pause hung in the air, suffocating the room with silence. 'I know that Stefan has upheld his responsibilities like a rock', he finally continued, an air of derision in his voice, 'But I could do that too, if I were here. I am aware that out of sight is often blissfully out of mind, but I would like to return to thinking of this as my home father. We are family and I would like us to behave as such.' Elena softened inside as she heard the same heartbreaking yearning for acceptance that she had noticed only a few times before. For a long time Mr Salvatore said nothing.

'Would this sudden change of heart have anything to do with Miss Pierce's visit?' he finally asked, his voice having regained much of its control. Damon seemed to consider his answer carefully.

'It might be the catalyst that has driven me to address matters that were already in need of attention', he admitted tightly but his father's reply was quick and sharp.

'The lady is not for you. She is not one of your midnight companions that is gone when the sun rises. Forget her.' Elena felt Katherine's mind ripple with a roar of laughter as she realised to what extent she had already ensnared Damon's affections. She could have tremendous fun. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that. Her mischievous thoughts galvanised into devilish intent as she imagined exactly the kind of midnight companion she could offer him. Elena feel sick and burned with a sizzling anger at Katherine's selfishness but then suddenly she was distracted by the sound of footsteps. They approached quickly and someone strode past the bottom of the stairs. He passed quickly and Elena was almost thrown by his longer, sweeping hair but she recognised Stefan within a moment. Katherine shrunk into the banister as much as her dress would allow to avoid being seen but Stefan did not so much as glance at the stairs. As he entered the room with a bright 'good morning' his brother and father instantly abandoned their conversation.

'Good Morning, Son', replied Mr Salvatore, a sudden warmth smothering all traces of the contempt he showed his elder son. 'You look well.'

'And why shouldn't I be?' Stefan returned and Elena could just tell that he was wearing a broad smile. 'It is a beautiful day, my brother has returned to us for a spell and our charming guest has set a female touch about the house which it sorely lacked. What else could one wish for?' His father met this with a chuckle.

'I think you may be right, son. It is a fine day. The kind of day perhaps to introduce our lovely visitor to the charms of the wood with a picnic perhaps?' he suggested deliberately. And Elena was sure that Damon must be seething. His father was so deliberately trying to ruin any chance for his happiness that Elena wanted to lunge down the stairs and sink her teeth into his veins but Katherine merely listened mildly and let endless possibilities for chaos dance through her head.

'I confess that's exactly what I had intended for this afternoon', Damon suddenly piped up, his voice tight, the anger evident.

'I'm sure that you have business to attend following your homecoming', Mr Salvatore stopped him firmly.

'Oh Father', Stefan rebuked him good naturedly, 'Damon has only just returned. I think he can be allowed some time to become reacquainted with his brother. A picnic it is then. All three of us', he stated, the happiness in his voice extinguishing any argument that the other two may have been considering.

Sadness filled Elena as their conversation circled in her head. Neither brother had set out to hurt the other, Stefan was as guileless as ever and Damon only wanted the one thing that his father had been sure to deprive him of, love. They couldn't help that they had both been bewitched by the same demon, a demon that knew exactly how to take this chink of a weakness and explode it into centuries of bitterness and hatred.

Suddenly, however, she was on her feet. A surge of panic raced through Elena as Katherine smoothed her skirts and began to walk down the stairs, her dainty step disguising the fact that each move was full of malevolent purpose. She reached the bottom of the stairs and turned into the most luxurious sitting room that Elena had ever seen. A huge French window at the end of the room let sunlight flood in and opened onto the expansive gardens at the rear of the house that were fringed by beautiful apple trees. The wall to her left was lined with bookcases that reached well above her head and were stacked with thick tomes and she wondered if any of them now resided in the boarding house covered in a thick film of dust. Two burgundy couches that looked soft enough to sink into were arranged around a small table that was still generously laid with bread, fruit and cheese, clearly the remains of breakfast. Elena could smell floor polish mixed with the sweet fragrance coming from the strawberries and apples on the table and the fresh scent of roses which were beautifully displayed on a pedestal by the window. Everything was pristine and so perfect that the human bodies looked out of place in the room's flawless precision. She then became aware that the swishing of her skirt had stopped and her feet had sunk into a gloriously thick rug on the floor.

'Miss Pierce!' exclaimed the three men as one. Elena was in shock as she took in the Salvatore family. At last her curiosity was satisfied as she came face to face with the notorious Mr Salvatore. He was a well preserved gentleman with a tall frame and protruding belly that seemed to fill all the space around him, making him a formidable presence. His greying hair was still thick on his head and one hand idly fiddled with a pocket watch. He was standing by a drinks cabinet where a selection of impressive crystal decanters glinted in the light and with a glass of liquor in his hand he looked unnervingly like Damon. An older Damon who would never exist.

The brothers both stood facing her like polar opposites. They looked strange, almost comical in their old fashioned clothes, Stefan in a buttoned up morning suit complete with a tie and Damon still wearing a battered army uniform. Elena felt cold as she took in the rips and dark stains and wondered what stories they could tell. It was clear from Stefan's manner and fresh face that he had never come across much hardship in life, his clear eyes were so completely untroubled. By contrast, while Stefan's face was so light and carefree, Damon's was guarded and careful. Innocence and innocence lost thought Elena regretfully. This one glance was enough for her to see how the different upbringings the brothers had received had impacted on them and she felt suddenly proud of the way Damon had just stood up to his father.

She had often tried to picture the brothers in their human life and somehow this was different to what she expected. While she could still see the Damon she knew in the man before her, Stefan was barely recognisable. He had none of the shadow of regret that now permanently haunted his features and it made him look so young and sweet but ultimately transparent. Every thought in his head was clearly played out on his face. When she looked at Damon on the other hand the world weary smirk that graced his young features fascinated her. Everything about him was intriguing from his battle scars to that enigmatic twinkle in his eye which could mean anything from 'come to bed' to 'it's time for an adventure'. She was sure that twinkle was purely down to her. No, to Katherine she reminded herself yet again. She had no time to worry over this recurring slip, however, as Katherine had clearly decided that she was ready to play.

'Good Morning my fine gentlemen', she smiled coyly as both Stefan and Damon fell over themselves to approach her. Damon was the fastest but she deliberately fussed with her hair for a moment, her thoughts glowing with vindictive arrogance so that when Stefan arrived it was he that she offered her hand to first. Glowing with pride Stefan kissed her tiny knuckles and led her to one of the couches where she settled herself and arranged her dress. Neither Elena nor Katherine missed the stab of disappointment that shot across Damon's face, in fact Katherine relished it.

'How are you this afternoon?' enquired Stefan politely.

'I am very well', she replied, batting her lashes. 'I really cannot thank you enough for your hospitality Mr Salvatore', she continued ingratiatingly.

'The pleasure is all ours, Miss Pierce. The house has been too gloomy of late. Your presence seems to have changed everything', Mr Salvatore replied warmly, clearly not impervious to the power of Katherine's charm.

'Well sometimes everything needs a little change, doesn't it?' she purred prophetically, thoroughly tickled by the turn of the conversation.

'Indeed', nodded Stefan, sinking onto the couch beside her. Elena felt a tenderness in her heart as she saw how utterly happy he was, if only Katherine had never come into his life she wished fervently. 'Can I get you anything? A drink perhaps?' he offered at the same time as Damon lifted the plate of fruit from the table and held it to her with a suggestive smile. Katherine merrily looked between the two brothers then delicately lifted a strawberry from the bowl.

'Thank you', she replied, arching one perfect eyebrow. She looked pointedly at Damon as she let the bright red fruit slip between her soft, full lips. Elena felt the flavour burst across her tongue and it was sweeter than anything that she had ever tasted before. As the juices flooded her mouth Katherine made sure that her eyes stayed firmly locked on Damon's and she deliberately let slip a little moan of pleasure that was unashamedly erotic. Her mind radiated smugness as Damon swallowed hard and cleared his throat, momentarily befuddled and a little shocked before a perfectly filthy smirk spread across his face.

'My favourite', she finally sighed breathily, her eyes still skewering him completely.

'I thought so', Damon replied smoothly. Katherine was delighted and clicked her tongue in a parody of reproachment but her eyes still sparkled.

'You presume to know the workings of a lady's mind?' she challenged him. He dropped his head to one side cockily and a corner of his mouth twitched upwards.

'I think one woman's mind is as different to another's as the strawberries are from these apples from our orchard', he replied easily. 'Some are simple and familiar', he continued, rapidly tossing a piece of apple into his mouth and chewing pointedly. 'And perfectly appealing', he appraised the fruit with a grin once he had swallowed, then he returned his hand to the bowl and lifted one of the ripe, juicy strawberries. 'While others', he nodded to the plump, scarlet fruit, 'are exotic and sweet and prove to be … irresistible', he finished, snapping the strawberry hungrily into his mouth in one and devouring it with gusto. If Elena could have laughed she would have. This was Damon's essence neatly laid out before her intact, the years of bitterness and regret distilled from his personality and tempered by vulnerable humanity. He was passionate and endearingly cheeky and unrepentantly contemptuous of the conventions of the day. He wanted a woman to be free and happy to follow her desires, a rare and precious find in this age, Elena knew. Her heart melted a little as she realised he had been right. She did like him in 1864.

'Damon!' his father's warning voice suddenly cut into Elena's thoughts.

'Miss Pierce, I must apologise for my brother', Stefan hastily added, 'During his military service he must have neglected his manners', Stefan gave her hand a cautious pat. Always following the rules, Elena thought forlornly. Stefan was a good man, she knew that, but he would always be bound by expectations. In his eyes he saw Katherine as a wife and a mother, not a woman or a person in her own right. It wasn't his fault, these were the times that he lived in but next to his brother's unrestrained lust for life and freedom it left him looking rather pale and sterile. Elena was surprised to discover, however, that Katherine was touched by this. She seemed pleased to be thought of in terms of domesticity. Perhaps that was what she really wanted, she had been running for such a long time that maybe a family was secretly what she longed for. Her happiness crumbled as the fact that she could never have one flooded her mind but just the fact that Stefan had considered her in this way made her warm to him considerably.

'Yes, Damon, I think you have some business to take care of following your sudden return do you not?' Mr Salvatore continued, every word aimed like a missile at his son.

While Damon turned his furious gaze onto his father, Elena realised that Katherine's mind had twisted like a snake with a jolt of shock. She was genuinely impressed by Damon's boldness, however she quickly brushed it aside, pulling herself back into control. She could be his exotic and sweet strawberry, making every comment into a thinly veiled seduction if that was what it took to ensnare his devotion. She could easily slip into that part. She had played it often before. Elena swelled with pity and she wondered how Katherine could not understand that this was not what Damon wanted, not what he needed. He wanted love, he wanted someone to by his side forever, not a never ending floor show. Katherine was not as adept at reading people as she thought she was. Damon had always foxed her, Elena realised, remembering the earlier memory following her shower. Perhaps that was why she still toyed with him.

A niggling sensation had begun to prickle at the back of Elena's mind and now it decidedly claimed her attention. She suddenly realised that Stefan had not spoken up for his brother this time. She could see him from the corner of her eye deliberately examining the floor so as to avoid his Damon's reproving glare. Elena felt crushed with disappointment. So this was how it all began? One tiny taste of Katherine's attentions and they both became slavering dogs willing to savage each other to emerge the victor?

'It is a beautiful day Miss Katherine. Perhaps you would like to join me for a picnic in the gardens or the orchard?' Stefan suddenly piped up, staking his own claim in this battle with a decidedness the belied his sunny demeanour. Katherine turned to him, softening her features. She sensed, quite accurately, that demure and ladylike was the way forward with this brother, the kind of woman that he could be proud to marry. That's how she would be with Stefan and she was positively looking forward to it.

'I would be delighted', she smiled, making a good show of being overcome with excitement. 'That sounds like a perfectly lovely idea', she gushed, internally rolling her eyes. Stefan grinned, seizing his victory and getting to his feet, one hand extended to her. It was easy to see that he was hopelessly smitten. Katherine was already crowing inside her head about how easy this endeavour would be.

She slipped her elegant fingers into Stefan's hand and allowed him to lead her a few steps before she turned back into the room wearing an exaggerated pout.

'But Sir', she began coquettishly, addressing Mr Salvatore and twirling one perfect curl of hair in her hand 'If a picnic is lovely with two, it would be even lovelier with three. Surely Master Salvatore's business can be delayed for a few hours? Won't you join us?' She fixed him with exactly the kind of daring, fiery glare that she knew he would never be able to resist. Elena reluctantly had to admit that there was something impressive in Katherine's total belief in herself. Perhaps this was what an eternity of existence led to. With all people and surroundings being transient maybe Katherine had found that there was only one constant in her existence. In order to not be utterly lost she had to place all her trust and belief in this, the only consistent thing in her life, herself. In the end, Elena reflected, that was really rather pitiful. Damon, as expected, was caught in her web of honeyed web of deceit. Her beauty drew him in like a bird to the intricate markings on a deadly insect.

'You know Miss Pierce, I believe I can', he replied. Mr Salvatore started forward as if to object and Elena felt Stefan's hand tighten anxiously on Katherine's but she gave such a giggle of delight that his father stopped in his tracks. Unwilling to spoil her happiness, he retreated a few steps. Damon shot him a murderous look before turning back to Katherine and his brother. 'After a change of clothes I will be with you directly', he informed them firmly.

'Good', Katherine grinned, 'Then your brother and I will visit the kitchens and instruct a fabulous feast for us', she turned purposefully to Stefan, squeezing his hand and bestowing a radiant smile on him that caused Damon to clench his teeth.

'Well', Mr Salvatore barked bitterly, unable to voice his true temper in the presence of Katherine, 'enjoy your afternoon'.

As Katherine walked out of the door, Stefan on her right, a tight grip on her hand and Damon gaining quickly on her left, she laughed out loud.

'Don't worry Sir', she called over her shoulder, 'the fun is just beginning'.

Elena barely had time to register the hatred that consumed her for this manipulative devil before Katherine crossed the threshold of the room and a sudden force threw her backwards. In a flash she was lying on her back staring at the ceiling of the boarding house, her fingers digging into the threadbare carpet. She was sprawled on the landing, her legs still dangling onto the step below exactly where she had been when the vision began. The familiar bloodlust pulsed through her but she had consumed so much human blood that evening that it was significantly muted and she was able to swallow it down in the space of a few minutes. More worrying this time, however, was the pain that suddenly lanced through her skull like a bolt of lightning.

She could still hear Stefan and Damon's argument raging below and she struggled to suppress a gasp of pain that would betray her presence. Clutching her head she managed to yank herself to her feet and scrabble along the wall until she had found her way back up the stairs and into her room. She collapsed into the bed and curled into a foetal position, rocking herself to help endure the pain for what felt like an age before she finally succumbed to sleep.

Her sleep was no more peaceful than her waking as she was haunted by the same dream over and over again. The guises were different but the essence was always the same. She was with someone and she was happy, holding his hand or lying in his embrace. She would turn her head to find Stefan who would kiss her and stroked her hair and it felt like it did in the beginning, like everything was right in the world. She felt a shallow, neutral contentment. The contentment of someone who doesn't know what a world of possibilities lies waiting to be discovered. Then suddenly everything would become hollow, she would remember that it wasn't right and that something was missing. Instantly she would begin to look around for the dark hair and the enticing grin. Damon. Where was Damon? No matter what setting the dream chose to take she was always claimed by panic as she realised that Damon was gone and in his absence she felt like a part of her had broken.

By the time her eyes flew open and she juddered awake, Damon's figure had not graced her dreams once, but he was all that she had thought about. She rubbed her eyes roughly; her headache had abated and was now a manageable, dull ache at the base of her skull. She looked at the clock and was shocked to see that she had slept for a day and a half. No wonder she had felt so tortured by her dreams. The lingering anxiety still growled in the pit of her stomach and suddenly she knew what she had to do. The way Damon had looked at her last night, like she might really have pushed him so far that he could not come back was too much for her. She couldn't let that happen. Katherine's latest memory had just cemented everything that she had already known. She could not be like Katherine, alternately dangling hope in front of each of their faces only to snatch it away when it mattered most. She had now seen first-hand that this was what had almost destroyed their relationship, the fact that Katherine had given both of them hope instead of letting one of them go free. Elena would not continue to be that person. She had toyed with their affections long enough. She knew now what she had to do.

Unable to wait a second longer she jumped from the bed and dashed into the corridor, making a bee line for the door at the end of the hall. She rapped on the wood and waited for him to answer. She felt like she was running on pure adrenaline, this one burning purpose was keeping her recklessly afloat over a yawning chasm of doubt and indecision and she felt like it could give way beneath her feet at any minute. Within a second the door opened and a face appeared, eyes widening with surprise. It was Stefan.

'Elena!' he gasped, 'You're awake. Are you all right?' he continued, ushering her into the room. 'We were starting to get a little afraid that you weren't going to wake up. We tried sitting with you but that only seemed to make you toss and turn and cry. You seemed more peaceful when we left you on your own …' he finally trailed off. Elena nodded and allowed him to ease her into the chair by the bed.

'Yes, I'm fine', she assured Stefan, but he seemed to be unable to stop speaking. Her stomach sank as she wondered if he knew exactly what she had come to say and just didn't want to give her the chance to say it.

'Can I get you anything?' he asked, sinking to his knees in front of her, his hands settling awkwardly on top of hers in her lap. His question was a sickening reminder of her latest vision and his touch brought all her focus back to the task in hand.

'No Stefan, I'm fine', she blurted out, standing restlessly and clenching her hands into nervous fists. 'I just … I mean _we _just really need to talk', she told him gravely. Slowly Stefan rose from his knees and brought his sorrowful gaze up to meet hers. Although the rest of his face had hardened, his eyes were so full of guilt and apprehension that Elena's sudden burst of decisiveness deserted her and the words dried up on her tongue. For a moment she felt nothing but misery and she wished herself a million miles away from this room. She knew that it was a few moments, a few words and then it would all be over. She remembered the soft hearted, transparent young boy that she had just witnessed and she found her courage again. She took a deep breath, steeling herself.

'Stefan', she finally managed to say in an even voice, 'We have to …' but her sentence sharply stopped as Stefan disappeared before her. For a second she was surrounded by a flash of dark rock, claustrophobic and damp. Stefan was lying on the ground staring angrily up at the ceiling while she fiendishly crawled towards him, her hips and breasts swaying temptingly. Elena's mind reeled in confusion for a second before a burst of understanding hit her. The tomb. This was when Stefan and Katherine were trapped in the tomb.

As quickly as the memory began, however, it was gone and she was looking at Stefan again, her face utterly flummoxed. Stefan's eyebrows were furrowed in concern as he had obviously witnessed her momentary distress.

'Elena?' he took a step towards her, 'What's wrong?' She shook her head mutely, unable to give him an answer, when he abruptly blinked out of existence again and the whole world exploded into chaos. She was attacked by a jarring vision of Stefan grabbing her by the neck and slamming her against the wall of the boarding house hallway. Then, in a flash, she was creeping down the stairs towards the basement cell where Elijah lay still in an indefinite death. These snap shots of memories began to rocket past her faster and faster, one merging into the next so quickly that she didn't even have time to register what she was seeing clearly. She saw snippets of the house, the tomb, a flowery bedroom where she was shocked to find Mason Lockwood lying beneath her.

The bombardment of images continued to assault her leaving her feeling disoriented and terrified with the red hot ember of pain at the back of her head flaring into a blaze of agony. It was all too much, she couldn't take it. Her head was surely going to explode, it couldn't cope with all this new information, there just wasn't enough room. Her brain already felt stretched beyond capacity.

'Elena!' she just made out Stefan's cry and was vaguely aware of him leaping towards her between the visions but the pain and speed of the memories was reaching an excruciating peak and as her mind seemed to erupt in anguish, her consciousness flatlined and everything went blissfully black. Stefan didn't manage to reach her before her legs buckled and she dropped heavily to the floor, completely unconscious.


	13. Chapter 13

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 13**

I don't own the Vampire Diaries or characters. This is purely for fun.

The first thing that Elena was aware of in the blackness was a voice. It was a quiet, unassuming voice that Elena found utterly familiar, yet she couldn't quite place it. Like a tiny spark in a tinderbox, this bead of curiosity flared and her consciousness dimly lit up again and returned to life. Opening her eyes was a mammoth task but eventually she managed it and slowly the blurry world around her swam into focus. There was a sudden, frightening flash of a memory that plunged her into darkness again for a moment, but then all returned to normal. Elena gasped fearfully at the violence of the change but then she heard the voice calling her name again.

In a second the voice transported her to a faraway time where she could hear school bells ringing and football crowds cheering. She was swamped with the safe, happy nostalgia of summer kisses; cheerleading chants; delicious, illicit nights out by the falls and most of all the feeling of complete contentment. At once recognition flooded her and her eyes flew open, fully awake.

'Matt!' she exclaimed, her voice surprisingly hoarse and faint.

'Elena?' he exhaled her name like a prayer, 'It's you!' Desperate to move but somehow sluggish, Elena finally managed to turn her head to see Matt sitting in a chair by the bed in which she now found herself lying. 'The others will come soon', he hissed and laboriously tried to heave himself from the chair but Elena's arm flailed towards him in a frantic bid for attention.

'Please don't go!' she croaked.

'Okay', Matt assured, her complying immediately and he leaned forward in the chair and moved his battered head very close to hers. She felt tears of relief in her eyes when she realised how close he was. 'I'm not going anywhere.'

'I am so glad to see you', she whispered.

'Feeling's mutual', he gave her such a broad, genuine smile that she couldn't help but return it, her eyes closing gratefully. When she opened them again she took the opportunity to study him carefully. He looked good considering what he had been through. His face was unnaturally gaunt and very pale but the only other marks that she could discern on his ashen skin were two mottled bruises that decorated his right temple and cheekbone.

''Are you all right? Are you going to be ok?' she begged him as she looked pleadingly into his eyes, which were as familiar and comfortable as a warm bubble bath. It was like looking at another brother. He was quiet for a long moment, his face torn then finally he forced the expression away with another smile.

'It's nothing I need to worry about now', his mouth quirked weakly and she released the tension in her body, sinking back against the pillows. Pillows? Only now that she was satisfied that her friend was safe did she begin to take in her surroundings. With a growing sense of anxiety she realised that she was no longer in Stefan's room. She was in a bed, comfortably settled and wearing pyjamas that she had not been when she was last awake. A quick glance around told her that she was back in the guest room and it dawned on her that she had already begun to think of it as 'her' room. As the initial relief and excitement of seeing Matt subsided she realised that she was indeed still in a lot pain, her whole head throbbing angrily and she was as weak as a kitten.

'What happened to me, Matt?' she finally plucked up the courage to whisper. The way Matt's face twisted with sympathy did nothing to allay her fears. He seemed to consider his words carefully before replying.

'I don't really know, you passed out and have been unconscious ever since. Do you remember anything?' Elena shook her head painfully.

'I remember going to Stefan's room to ...' her words dried up under his questioning eyes.

'To what?' he pressed gently. Elena felt as though she was in a truly terrifying limbo because she knew that when she said the next few words they would be sealed by reality and she would never be able to claim her uncertainty ever again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

'To tell him it was over', she sighed heavily. Matt's eyes widened and he looked thoughtful for a moment.

'Wow, finally decided, huh', he sat back in the chair. 'In the end Damon won?'

'It wasn't a competition', Elena told him ruefully, 'I never wanted to do this to them. I've just been seeing things differently, _very_ differently in the last few days. You know how I felt about them, you know how much I cared for them both.'

'Yes, I know. Although the whole time I was secretly hoping that you maybe cared about _yourself_ a little more. Look at what they've done to you', he replied quietly. Elena felt her heart constrict at his words, unable to bear his judgement.

'Matt, it wasn't their fault ...'she began to defend them but he interrupted.

'If it wasn't for them you we would still be okay Elena', he snapped.

'We? I thought you were going to be all right?' she quickly countered, worry once again filling her eyes. The harshness left his face immediately and he looked tired.

'I am, nothing's going to hurt me now', he assured her. 'Don't worry about me.' She felt herself relax a little again and she gazed into his eyes.

'You're sounding like Jeremy now', she smiled. 'I don't want a game of humans vs vampires. There's no point throwing blame around, there's nobody to catch it', she scolded playfully. Matt grinned.

'Your mom said that all the time.'

'She did', Elena nodded, welling up with an unexpected and all-consuming yearning for the kind of comfort that only one of her mother's hugs could have given her. She had long ago come to terms with the knowledge that she would never feel that again but right now the pain was inexplicably almost as fresh as the first time. She could think of nothing else to say on the matter and they lapsed into companionable silence.

'Does Damon know?' Matt's voice finally piped up softly, disturbing the quiet. She looked at him sorrowfully and shook her head.

'With everything that's going on I don't know whether it's better to take a step back from them both', she sighed. 'I don't know how thrilled Damon would be right now anyway, we're not exactly on the best of terms.' Matt laughed suddenly.

'Damon, not be thrilled by the news the Stefan's out and he's in?' he leaned forward, grinning broadly, his nose an inch from Elena's. 'Elena you're a smart girl, but sometimes you can be really dense!'

'Hey!' she blurted out, her voice jokingly offended.

'Damon loves you so much it borders on frightening. If you honestly think that he would greet that news with anything other than a ticker tape parade then you need your head examined', Matt assured her teasingly as he sat back comfortably in the chair. Butterflies began to flutter in her stomach at this thought.

'People won't understand', she reflected quietly.

'People rarely do', Matt smiled. 'I think you've known for a long time that it was really Damon. I could tell that day on the Wickery Bridge that you were trying too hard to convince yourself about Stefan.'

'Poor Stefan', Elena breathed. Matt nodded.

'Yes, but better you tell him the truth now than torture both of them any further', he pointed out. Elena turned her wide eyes on him for a moment debating whether or not to ask the question that was at the front of her mind.

'Have I been a terrible person?' she asked in a tiny voice.

'No, I don't think so. You've just been a teenager!' They both laughed. 'And now you've grown up. A little early and in a very brief space of time but I think you can tell more clearly what you want and what you _need_', he finished wisely. She nodded thankfully, glad that someone else understood.

'When did you get so smart?' she smiled.

'Nah, I just put on a good show', he beamed self-deprecatingly and they became peacefully quiet again.

'Elena?' he finally asked as she began to relax again, her eyelids were getting heavy and the pillows were so inviting.

'In case I never get the change to say this again, you know how much you've always meant to me right?' his voice was so soft she could almost have mistaken it for the sheets rustling.

'What are you talking about?' she asked sleepily, 'why wouldn't you get the chance ...'

'I just mean', he cut in, 'that if the opportunity to say this never arises again, for whatever reason. I mean once you tell Damon how you feel he might throttle me for saying this.' She giggled faintly and the thought of actually telling Damon how she felt gave her a warm glow that made her even drowsier. 'You were the first girl I ever loved Elena', he whispered, leaning towards her again. 'I know I was never your prince charming. I know that you outgrew me years ago, knew it the minute you turned in your pom poms to the cheerleading squad', a hint of mirth crept into his voice. 'But I loved you. Still do in a way. I always will. Whatever you choose Elena, I just hope that you are happy. That's all I've ever hoped for you.' His voice became a lullaby in her ears and calmness swept over her. Not for the first time she felt utterly glad to still have Matt in her life and it gave her hope that maybe, once all the initial unpleasantness was behind them, she and Stefan could still be friends.

Only a moment seemed to pass but she must have slept again for a while because all of a sudden she was aware of footsteps coming down the hallway. When she opened her eyes, Matt was gone and the chair by the bed was empty. She immediately registered the pounding at the base of her skull and the fact that her tongue felt glued to the roof of her mouth. She looked warily towards the door and sure enough, within a moment, the handle began to cautiously turn with a soft creak. The door inched carefully open as the person on the other side clearly struggled to keep from disturbing her. Slowly a head slipped into view around the wood.

'Jer!' Elena rasped, not able to contain her happiness. She was assaulted by the smell of human blood pumping vigorously through living veins and arteries but even though the usual bloodlust scorched the back of her throat and set hunger rumbling in her belly, she was far too weak to act upon it. 'Come in', she told him, 'I think in this condition even you would be able to bring me down in a fight'. This earned her a small smile and the relief that filled her brother's face when he heard her speak was unmistakable. It was as though he had just let out a breath that he had been holding for days. 'Are you all right?' she asked him gently.

'You're awake!' he beamed, subconsciously matching her whisper, 'How do you feel?'

'Like death', she replied dryly, but her eyes were alight with humour.

'Ha ha', replied Jeremy, moving forward to sit on the edge of the bed beside her. 'Seriously, how do you feel?'

'I've been better Jer. I'm okay I guess, it's just this headache. And I am so tired, I feel like I can hardly get up. How long have I been out?' she finally asked, straining pointlessly to bring herself into a sitting position. Jeremy leaned forward and helped to prop her up on the pillows so that her face was level with his. She noticed that he was chewing his lip nervously. 'Jeremy', she admonished anxiously, 'what is it? How long have I been out?' He looked at her then averted his eyes before replying,

'Three days'.

'Three?!' she gasped, 'Jeremy ... what is going on?' she grabbed her brother's hand and looked at him with fear filled eyes.

'We don't know', he admitted. 'Stefan and Damon have some theories but they're all linked to your memories – or rather Katherine's memories. When we heard you talking in your sleep again just now they deliberately asked me to come up and check on you. They thought that I would be much less likely to trigger any relapses as Katherine only has a few memories of me.' Elena nodded thoughtfully. 'They could explain it better than me', he ran a hand through his hair unhappily. 'Do you want me to bring them in?' Elena nodded wearily, already wishing for a return to the blackness that she had been lost in for days in order to ease the awful pain in her head. Jeremy obliged and got up to go to the door but as he reached the threshold he faltered and turned back to look at her. 'Elena', he began again, this time speaking very warily, 'there's something else I have to tell you.' She looked at him for a moment, her mind racing as to what it might be then she knew exactly what was wrong with her brother.

'Jeremy, if it's about what happened in the woods the other night I'm sorry. Damon stopped me before any real damage was done. I know it was a terrible slip but I swear I am going to try to do a lot better. You're going to be really proud of me, I promise!' she assured him vehemently. Her brother looked at her wistfully and seemed to be hesitating and debating whether or not to say anything further, then finally he leaned his head on doorframe for a moment.

'I know you will', he replied softly, then he moved back into the corridor and closed the door again. Elena could hear muffled voices and although she fought to hear what they were saying, the words were lost under the hammering in her head. Stefan and Damon had clearly been waiting right outside the door. She wondered how much time out of the past three days they had spent there.

When the door opened again it was Damon's face that she saw first and she thought that the sight could almost give her the strength to jump out of bed and run to him. His usual swagger was diminished somewhat and his features were set with a sincerity to which they were not accustomed. The utter joy that filled his eyes upon seeing her awake was enough to bring her to tears and she wished fervently that it was just the two of them in the room. Stefan followed close behind, the grief and guilt that seemed to be his permanent expression these days heavy on his face. They both walked as if the floor was strewn with landmines. Jeremy sidled in at their back and quickly took his place in the chair where Matt had been sitting. Elena looked at them both carefully and she felt another snap in reality. For a moment, Damon's face was replaced by his younger counterpart before everything blinked back to the present and she saw the face she knew again. She squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden pang of thirst and pain that the memory induced and she let out a little whimper.

'I knew that this was a bad idea', Damon erupted immediately.

'No, it's all right. I'm fine', Elena quenched his anger before it had a change to truly flare. 'It was just for a second', she assured them, 'I'm fine now.'

'Oh well, that's good Elena, I'd hate to see you if you were a little under the weather', he lashed out helplessly.

'Damon!' Stefan cried warningly and Damon deflated immediately.

'Sorry', he said directly to Elena, whose sluggish brain had barely had time to keep up with his outburst. He sat wearily on the bed beside her and looked worriedly into her eyes. 'We just don't know what to do, I don't know how to help you.' With an effort Elena moved her hand across the sheets until it connected with his. The pitiful grip of her cold little fingers almost made Damon's heart break. He enveloped her small hand in both of his own.

'We'll figure it out, together', she nodded encouragingly, every moment etching pain across her face.

'Well', Stefan began slowly, forcing his way into the conversation which had pulled Damon and Elena together so magnetically. 'We can't be sure without a witch's help right now, but the closest we can figure is that now that you have opened this doorway into Katherine's memories, they're starting to slide in more freely. Katherine's got hundreds of years of memories, Elena. Your head has never had to hold any more than 18 years' worth. We can only assume that a vampire's mind would adapt and expand over the years to contain the gradual increase but yours is still so young. To have all this information flooding into it in such a short space of time is pushing it beyond its capacity. Elena closed her eyes ruefully, she knew that he was right. That was exactly what it felt like, like her poor mind was being stretched like a balloon to the point of bursting.

'So what will happen?' she whined, horrified.

'That's just the thing, we don't know', Stefan replied, anguish in his voice. 'The doppelganger phenomenon is so rare, we really don't know anything about it.'

'The way we see it', Damon finally joined in, 'there's only one other person who might.' He snorted in exasperation, still sitting tantalisingly close to her on the bed. Elena closed her eyes, the cold look on Damon's face not lost on her.

'Katherine', she sighed.

'And finding Katherine is like finding a needle in a haystack', Stefan frowned. Elena felt tears forming at the corner of her eye, the frustration was infuriating, when all of a sudden something clicked into place in her head. A hotel room and a ringing telephone.

'Oh my God', she cried, her body instinctively trying to shoot into an upright position, but it was not strong enough and it became more like a convulsion against the pillows. Damon sprang to his feet and the others cried her name in concern.

'No, it's all right', she calmed them, swallowing down the stabs that had come from the sudden movement. 'I just remembered something.' Her voice was thin and raspy but she continued none the less. 'In the clearing when I … when I fed, on human blood straight from that man's veins I had a vision.' Stefan looked at the floor shamefully, remembering that moment.

'A vision? You mean a memory?' Damon asked, sinking back to the bed.

'No', she shook her head, 'this was more like a live show. It was more immediate, somehow I am sure that I was looking at what she was doing right at that moment.' Stefan and Damon exchanged a glance that hardly dared to hope.

'And you saw where she was?' Stefan breathed. Elena nodded slowly. 'I'm pretty sure she's in San Francisco', she revealed, pleased with herself for being of some help for a change. 'Or was a few days ago.'

'Well it's a start!' Damon grinned enthusiastically. As long as his energy had a focus and he wasn't languishing in helplessness he could regain his composure. 'Wherever she is, we'll find her.' He lifted Elena's hands and squeezed them tight against his chest. 'We can fix this', he promised. Elena felt her lips curl into a smile, trusting his optimism completely, when without warning, he disappeared before her. Suddenly Elena was standing in a dark forest, Damon's younger self was opposite her, holding her hands against his chest the way he just had in the present. His curly hair was partly obscured by a black hat and his cheeks were ruddy with the cold. His breath came out in clouds when he spoke and he looked at her with the most penetrating eyes imaginable.

'Of course I'll help you', he promised her, stepping closer so that his body was pressed against hers. 'I'll stay right here until the coach stops.' She got lost in those eyes that bored directly into her heart. Even Katherine's voice appeared to have been brought to an incoherent silence, buzzing warmly around her own consciousness. 'I'll do whatever it is you need me to do Katherine. I love you', he told her sincerely, his hands coming up to cradle her face. Elena fleetingly remembered hearing him say the same words to her in the training room not so long ago. His hard unflinching body had been pressed against her quivering back and his hand had been firmly massaging its way along the bottom of her rib cage. _'I'll do whatever it is you need me to do Elena.' _She realised now that the 'I love you' that he had never vocalised had still been there, permeating his words. The clunking wheels of a coach suddenly became discernible in the distance and she watched helplessly as Damon lay down on the cold road. Katherine's impatient indifference licked at her thoughts as she darted like a cat into the cover of the trees. It warmed her to know that even after everything that had happened to him Damon could still find it in him to love. He had the strongest heart of anyone she had ever known.

As her heart soared at this thought a dizzying shift in the forest around her suddenly left her back in bed, Damon looming over her, his eyes shining with panic. She cried out slightly as more pain exploded across her head and she whipped it involuntarily back and forward on the pillows, frantically trying to force the agony away. Damon leapt to his feet, his body thrumming and desperate to help her but he didn't know how. At last she became still again, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.

'Oh God', she whimpered, 'I don't know how many more of those I can take.' They all froze in a tense silence for a moment until it was suddenly ripped asunder by Damon roaring.

'God damn it!' he yelled and everybody jumped in sudden fright as he turned in a violent spin and aimed a frustrated punch at the mirror that sat on the nearby chest of drawers. There was an almighty crash and shattering of glass as everything clattered to the ground. Damon kicked furiously at the mess on the floor as he realised that his hand was cut in several places from the broken glass of the mirror.

'Damon!' Stefan cried in alarm and Damon whirled around to face his brother, ready for a fight. However, when he turned he realised that they were not looking at him. Stefan and Jeremy's shocked eyes were firmly fixed on Elena. She was sitting bolt upright, clutching the covers tightly, a move that they would not have thought her capable of a moment before. She was staring at him with eyes so wide they looked ready to pop out of her head. They were firmly fixed on his injured hand which let a few drops of blood drip to the carpet before the skin melted back together again leaving it good as new. Elena gave a groan of loss as the wound healed, she was practically salivating.

'Elena?' Damon asked worriedly. She stayed locked in a rictus of hunger for a moment before sense finally returned to her eyes and her shoulders relaxed, slumping back onto the pillows.

'It smelled so good', she managed to wheeze. 'Why did it smell so good?' Stefan and Damon looked at each other cluelessly.

'What smelled so good Elena?' Stefan asked carefully. She looked at them almost guiltily, embarrassment crossing her face.

'The blood … your blood', she raised her eyes to Damon. 'It smelled fantastic. I wanted it so much.' Damon's eyebrows furrowed with concern.

'But wait', Jeremy cut in, 'Vampires drink human blood. They don't drink from other vampires. Right?' he finished uncertainly. Stefan stood up and scrubbed his hand over his face wearily.

'I don't know', he admitted. 'We're in uncharted territory here. I suppose if these memories are pushing the limits of Elena's mind then she would need some extra strength. If vampire blood made her what she is then maybe a little more might help her cope with this.' He looked at Damon thoughtfully. 'What do you think?' Damon was quiet for a long moment before finally looking at Elena. He sighed heavily.

'It couldn't hurt to try', he breathed,

'Fine', Stefan replied grittedly and before anyone could stop him he had grabbed a shard of the broken mirror from the floor and slit his palm open.

'Hey!' yelled Jeremy, leaping to his feet. 'What are you doing?!' Damon simply gave him a withering look.

'Don't get dramatic or anything', he quipped wryly although his blood was bubbling with rage that Stefan was intending to ride in like a white knight to save the day without any discussion. Or perhaps he was just angry that he hadn't thought of it first. They were interrupted, however, by a low groan from the bed. They turned to see Elena shaking her head, her condition completely unchanged by the new scent of blood in the air. All the tension that had animated her earlier was still conspicuously absent.

'It's not the same', she whispered. 'I can smell it, but it's not the same.' Once again Stefan's face fell into that wounded look, it was like she had stolen a child's ice cream. He turned to his older brother sadly.

'I guess this really is your moment', he said stonily. Damon met his brother's eyes and they acknowledged that they had both come to the same conclusion. It had to be his blood, only his blood, because it was the blood that already flowed through Elena's veins. Damon had a strange look of pity mixed with triumph on his face as got to his feet, but he quickly shook it away, taking charge of the situation.

'All right', he snapped, 'If we are going to try this I want everybody out. We don't know how Elena will react so the human has to go.' Jeremy rolled his eyes but didn't complain. 'Keep him outside', Damon barked at his brother. Stefan nodded and grimly moved to the door. He held it open and looked expectantly at Jeremy. Elena smiled at her brother as he got to his feet. He squeezed her hand encouragingly then left the room obediently. Stefan looked furiously at his brother from the doorway, his knuckles white on the handle.

'Be careful', he growled pointedly, then he pulled the door closed leaving Damon and Elena alone. The room felt uncomfortably quiet now that it was just the two of them and an inexplicable shyness crept through Elena.

'Damon?' she croaked. He turned to face her and the harsh look that he reserved for his brother melted from his face and his eyes filled with tenderness. 'Why do I only want your blood?' she asked laboriously. Damon sighed and crossed the room to sit alongside her on the bed, his legs stretching out on top of the sheet next to her covered ones. He bent his head towards hers intimately and looked at her with endearing caution.

'There's something you don't know', he told her gently. 'The blood that Meredith used to treat you when you were in the hospital, the blood that turned you …' he paused uncertainly before committing himself to the truth. 'It was my blood.' Elena's eyes widened a little with surprise then a thoughtful look came over her face. Somehow this didn't surprise her. She thought of the yearning and longing that she had felt for Damon since she became a vampire. She had thought she was finally discovering the truth of the love that was deepest in her heart, but was she really just reacting to the pull that his blood had over her? Suddenly everything that she thought she knew seemed so uncertain again.

'Yours', she repeated blankly. He nodded.

'I can only guess that you're suffering from a problem that no vampire has ever encountered before. A little more of the blood that made you, that's already a part of you, might just strengthen your vampire mind and help it adjust', he hypothesised.

'You guess?' she raised one eyebrow with an effort.

'Yes', he grinned sliding an arm around her shoulders, 'but I'm always right, so you've nothing to worry about.' He gave her a squeeze, the smell of him surrounded her and all thoughts of questioning her feelings towards him skittered from her mind.

'So you're what? My maker? My sire?' she quirked one corner of her mouth faintly.

Damon gave her one of his most devastating smirks,

'Well you can call me Daddy if you like?' he growled jokingly into her hair. His answer caused her to shake with an unexpected burst of weak laughter that eventually made her wince with pain. 'All right, all right', Damon conceded edging her forward on the bed. 'Clearly I am so hot that you can't stand it and we can't have that. So let's see if we can't help you out.'

She gratefully let him ease her back across his lap, clasping her to his chest so that his chin rested on top of her head. She nuzzled into his neck, thankful for his cheeky cockiness that had already made her feel better.

'Well, now or never', Damon whispered and she nodded, feeling the seriousness creeping into his voice. Gently Damon pushed her sideways until she was resting comfortably in his arms, gazing up into his eyes. He brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and let his fingertips linger on her cheek. Her stomach churned demanding more contact but he quickly retracted his hand. 'I hope this works', he mused aloud then he swiftly sunk his fangs into his own wrist. Elena's body convulsed when the smell of the blood reached her and he tightened his grip slightly before bringing the wounded skin to her lips. As the blood spread across her tongue she felt like a bucket of water had doused the fire of her pain. It wasn't like drinking human blood, it didn't quench her thirst but she felt it seep to every last corner of her body, warming and soothing it like a balm. Her vampire senses grew more acute and the awful pain and drowsiness were sponged away, her thoughts once more left clear. She continued to stare into Damon's eyes and he was overjoyed to see the relief that was manifest in her face.

Then suddenly it began to change. What had felt like a relief at first suddenly began to warm into pleasure. The point of contact on Damon's wrist was tingling and sending unexpected waves of desire through his body. He felt the link between them cement and he understood completely that he was a part of her now and that he would never stop loving her, no matter what they encountered. This realisation filled him with an indescribable ecstasy that threatened to overpower him and got stronger with every pull that Elena took on his wrist.

Elena similarly was overcome with a wild joy that the crippling agony had receded and she felt his very essence filling her up, coursing through her. He was inside of her and all around her and she had never felt so good. She wanted this feeling to last forever and she knew that this place was special, his arms were the arms that she was meant to be in. It was crystal clear that she would never ever be able to let him go.

As one they both hit the height of their euphoria and reached a simultaneous, earth shattering peak. With a cry of pure, unbridled lust she withdrew her fangs from his wrist and clutched his shoulder to ride out her orgasm. When she looked up at him and saw that his own face was twisted in utter pleasure it hit her like a steam train and she was rocked by a second climax. For a long moment they simply lay in each other's arms trying to recover from the intensity of the surprise sensations. Eventually Damon looked down and realised that she was still breathing heavily, her chest heaving and she looked so sexy that he could not help but gather her against his chest and hold her tight. She clasped his shirt and made no move to pull away.

'Well that's never happened before', he finally exhaled. Elena laughed.

'Seriously? A first for the great Damon Salvatore?' she smiled into his chest. He chuckled.

'Loathe as I am to admit it, yes. Don't tell anybody', he joked.

'It was …' she trailed off unsure of how to describe the overwhelming sensations.

'Amazing', he finished for her and she nodded her agreement. 'The most amazing thing I have ever felt. It never crossed my mind to exchange blood with another vampire. I would have if I'd know it would be like that,' he teased.

'Damon!', she playfully thumped his chest.

'I see you're well enough to hit me again. Is that a good sigh?' he asked wryly.

'Yes', she grinned sleepily. 'I can think clearly again.'

'That never ends well for me', he breathed into her hair. She felt a pang of sadness at his words and realised how confused she was again. The feelings that his blood had elicited in her were so strong that it frightened her slightly. But was it just the pull of his blood that was ensnaring her? Was it making her blinkered to all the other issues at hand? To Stefan? She decided that there would be time for these thoughts later. For now she was safe and more satisfied than she had been for a long time. She could stay in this cocoon of bliss for a little longer before she let reality set back in. They were quiet then for a moment, relishing the warm, sticky togetherness. At length Damon stroked her hair and muttered,

'Always knew I could make you scream.' She laughed and snuggled closer.

'Could you control yourself for five minutes', she admonished playfully, her voice undeniably stronger.

'Oh where's the fun in that', his silky voice rumbled in her ear.

'Damon', she exclaimed exasperatedly but there was no anger in her voice.

'Fine', he surrendered amiably. 'How do you feel?' Elena felt like she could blush as the honest answer flashed through her mind. Instead she diplomatically replied,

'Still weak and tired but the pain is gone. I feel like me again.'

'Then God help us all', he gave her a playful squeeze. She laughed and then he was slowly shifting her away from him and settling her back onto the pillows. She felt cold and lost when he finally broke contact.

'Where are you going?' she cried anxiously. He was already on his feet next to the bed but he stopped and turned back to her.

'Well first I'm going to the little vampire's room', he nodded at the stain that was barely visible on his black jeans. 'Then we should really tell the others that it worked.' His eyes filled with concern when he saw her face crumple a little.

'Could you …' she began hesitantly, 'I know this is really confusing and I'm sorry … I understand if you don't but … could you stay here with me? Just for a little bit?' She saw a myriad of emotions flicker across his face before he silently lay back down on the bed. He pulled her body comfortably against his, his arm winding around her waist in the commanding way that she was used to from him. It made her stomach flutter. They lay quietly gazing into each other's eyes on the pillows for a moment. She could not begin to process what had gone on between them in the last hour but she knew that it had made her feel spectacular and she could not let him leave.

Eventually a look of anxiety crept into Damon's face and he let out a soft sigh.

'Elena? There's something I have to tell you', he breathed.

'What is it?' she replied sleepily, .

'The other day …' he began gently and Elena squeezed her eyes shut, mortification flooding through her.

'Oh Damon I'm, so sorry', she interrupted, 'The last time we spoke was awful, I never wanted to fight like that. I never wanted to hurt you. I can only hope that you'll forgive me', she pleaded and looked so upset that Damon's eyes filled with warmth.

'Of course I do', he scoffed. 'Have I ever been able to stay mad at you Gilbert?', he raised an eyebrow. She felt a surge or happiness that forced a slight giggle from her lips.

'I don't know why', she smiled. 'All the things I've seen now, I know how much I must have hurt you. Not just the other day but lots of other times too. I just want you to know that I am sorry. I don't ever want to hurt you like that again.' His face was very serious for a moment.

'What have you seen?' he asked quietly. Immediately she became embarrassed and busied herself playing with the collar of his shirt.

'I don't know', she shrugged uncomfortably, 'Mostly you', she continued, making sure that she avoided his eyes. 'I've seen her with you, what she did to you, back when you were human', she finished.

'I wish you hadn't seen that', he told her plainly.

'Why?' she whispered.

'I didn't want you to see what I used to be. I was a good man, I think', he thought out loud. 'It just shows you how much I've fallen', he replied unhappily. She shook her head firmly.

'No', she assured him, still not brave enough to look at him. 'That's not true. If anything it's made me see how strong you are. You didn't let her break you. The fact that you're still here and can look at me with all the passion and love that you used to save for her? That makes you the winner in the end Damon. You can still love.' She felt her heart ache and her body tremble in anticipation of his reaction but he remained silent. The hand that had been stroking her hair advanced across the skin of her cheek and then trailed the length of her lips before it settled under her chin. It slowly drew her head up until she had no choice but to meet his perfect blue eyes.

'Yes I can', he nodded pointedly. She was frozen for a moment, overcome by the desire for his lips to descend upon hers but he maintained his distance. Finally his face melted into a smile. 'And if it's right, it's worth waiting for. I didn't mean what I said earlier. I'm not going to ask you to make a decision now Elena, not with what you're going through at the moment. As long as you know that I do love you, with all my heart, and I am waiting for you, when you're ready.' She felt her eyes fill with tears of joy then suddenly the silence was shattered by a loud angry banging at the door.

'Damon!' a voice suddenly cried causing them to spring apart. Elena could still feel his eyes on her as he rolled away onto his back. She felt strangely bereft as his touch left her.

'Everything's fine!' he called resignedly, tossing an arm over his face.

'What's going on?' Stefan's voice sounded from the corridor.

'I said everything's fine!' Damon repeated heatedly. 'Elena's just … recovering from the ordeal', he raised his eyebrows and she stifled a giggle. Damon didn't imagine that Stefan would accept this so easily but there were no more interjections from beyond the door and he heard his footsteps retreat. He sighed in exasperation then finally sat up on the bed. Elena was already on her feet pulling a sweater on over the pyjamas she was wearing. The smooth, tempting swathe of skin over her shoulders was now hidden and he regretfully admitted to himself that it was probably for the best.

'Damon', she began carefully, struggling with the zip on her top. 'I appreciate what you just said, it really means a lot to me and you're right. I really need to sort out this', she tapped the side of her head, 'before we sort out … this', her hand dropped the zip and she waved her arm expansively between them. He got up off of the bed and crossed the room towards her. He stopped very close in front of her and her stomach flipped as he began to reach for her. However he didn't pull her into another embrace, instead he took hold of her zip and deftly pulled it up.

'Like I said. I've got nothing but time', he looked deeply into her eyes, She gave a broad smile as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

'Now come on', he snapped in a brisk, joking voice. 'Get some pants on so we can go and get things 'sorted out'.' He turned her towards the chest of drawers and cheekily slapped her butt through her pyjama shorts. She gave a little squeal which dissolved into a laugh as she rifled through the bottom drawer for some jeans. He couldn't help but notice that this left her ass raised invitingly in the air and he swallowed hard, fighting the impulse to renege on all the promises of waiting that he had just made. He was almost relieved when she straightened up, a pair of jeans in her hand.

As she sat on the bed and started to pull the jeans on, Damon felt a creep of uneasiness as he saw how carefree she suddenly looked. He licked his lips nervously.

'Elena?' he began. She looked up at him expectantly as she stood to fasten her pants. 'I know it's a relief that the pain is gone …' he continued warily.

'It is', she agreed gratefully, 'For a while I didn't think it would ever stop. I don't think I would even have woken up if it hadn't been for Matt's voice', she smiled fondly. 'When can he visit again? I mean I know you probably had to compel someone to get him out of the hospital but …' she trailed off as she realised that Damon was staring at her slack jawed, his eyes filled with horror. Her heart plummeted. Something was very, very wrong. 'What? What is it?' she whispered desperately.

'Elena, what are you talking about?' Damon breathed, she had never seen his face so twisted with dismay. 'I've been trying to tell you', he went on, his voice oddly strangled. 'Matt's in a coma. They're just about to decide to switch the life support off. Elena, he never woke up.'


	14. Chapter 14

Eyes of the Doppelganger – 

Chapter 14

**I am so sorry it has taken me so long to update! I was all caught up doing a play for a bit and then afterwards I found it really hard to get back into the swing of things with the story. Especially as these chapters are hard and mostly exposition. Excuses, excuses! However, as always when I feel guilty there are two chapters instead of one so I hope that makes up for it. I'll try and speed up a bit with the updates too as I want to get this finished soon. Also, I am aware of the sketchiness of the medical details but I think in a story full of vampires and witches disbelief can be suspended for a bit. Once again thank you for all the reviews, they are awesome and mean so much to me. Thanks to those who review on almost every chapter – you rock – and thank you to those coming along new in the last chapter who left some really lovely reviews – you rock too. Anyway, without further ado, back to the boarding house.**

Elena rocked backwards and forwards on the couch, her eyes glassy and staring into space. Caroline sat next to her, her arm tightly wound around her shoulders but she too was in silence. She looked intently at a spot on the floor where Jeremy paced impatiently back and forth in front of the fireplace. He was casting distressed glances at Stefan who was slumped in the armchair, his face sharp and thoughtful. Damon watched them all from his usual spot by the drinks cabinet, a glass of bourbon in his hand and his eyes narrowed in concentration. He was not numb with the horror that seemed to have settled on the room but he had to admit that it was intriguing and his mind raced furiously around this new bump in the road. Finally it was Stefan who broke the tomb like silence.

'And you're absolutely sure that it wasn't a dream?' he asked hopefully. Elena fixed him with a murderous glower.

'For the last time, I'm sure!' she hissed. 'He was there. It wasn't a memory or a hallucination, he was there!' Stefan held up his hands in defeat and lapsed back into silence. Elena scrubbed a hand viciously over her face. Her eyes were raw and itchy from crying but her tears had dried up long ago. She didn't feel like she had any more left to shed. She couldn't think of anything left for fate to throw in her way that could wring another drop of sorrow from her. Almost all of it had already happened. 'I don't know if I'd ever have woken up if it wasn't for his voice', she finished sadly. Damon frowned and drained the last of the bourbon from his glass.

'All right', he barked, 'Let's go back to the start. 'What exactly did Meredith say Jeremy?' Jeremy's head snapped up at the unexpected sound of his name and his pacing came to an abrupt halt. He sighed and felt like he was repeating this information for the hundredth time.

'Just that Stefan got to him just in time', he began. 'Elena I know that we kept some of this from you but he had a serious head injury when he was brought into the hospital, not to mention the lack of oxygen from being underwater. So they put him on a ventilator and gave him drugs which induced a coma to reduce the swelling on the brain.' Elena buried her head in her hands. 'They thought that the treatment was working and that he was doing fine', Jeremy jumped to defend their actions, 'So we didn't see the point in worrying you on top of everything else if he was only going to pull through in a few days. We thought that by the time you came through your transition he would be awake', Jeremy finished sheepishly. Elena raised her head again and her brother almost stepped back from the fury in her eyes but she contained her rage. She knew that there was no point in beginning an argument now.

'So why isn't he awake?' she asked through gritted teeth. 'What happened?' Jeremy bit his lip, increasingly perplexed. By now his pacing had almost worn a hole in the carpet. 'They don't know', he admitted quietly. 'It all seemed to be going fine, the swelling came down but then ...'

'Then what?' Elena growled, her voice excruciatingly measured.

'Then nothing', Jeremy blurted out, raising his hands in the air and finally dropping to the couch next to Stefan. 'Meredith said that the other night it was like he just suddenly disappeared, as if a switch had been flipped. Physically, the swelling went down but when they tried to adjust the drugs to bring him out of the coma it was just like he was gone, no response at all. The Doctors just don't understand what happened. They say that that there's nothing physically keeping him from waking up but it's as if he's...'

'Dead?' Elena finished bluntly, a flash of anger in her voice. Jeremy simply looked at his feet. 'So what happens to him now?' she pressed.

'Well, the ventilator is still breathing for him but they think that if they switch it off then ...' This time Elena did not finish his sentence. Nobody in the room wanted to hear it.

'After six days in the same condition they're now trying to track down his Mom to ask if she wants to ... what she wants to do.'

'And she could decide to pull the plug', Caroline breathed, a shock still rendering her features blank.

'Of course she will', Elena spat, 'She's never put Matt – or Vicky – in front of what she wants. Can you see her hanging around to play nurse?' she continued in an uncharacteristically vindictive voice.

'Elena ...' Caroline attempted to soothe her friend but Elena was in no mood to be placated.

'No, I am just sick of all this Caroline. Matt never hurt anybody. He didn't ask for any of this. Why does he have to suffer? He was always so sweet and such a gentleman – even upstairs just now he wouldn't even hold my hand. He doesn't deserve this, why is it always the innocent people who get caught in the crossfire?' As she spoke, her words reached something way back in Damon's brain. Something that she said didn't quite sound right. He tuned out everything else that was going on in the room and tried to concentrate on what it was that had bothered him. Then in a searing bolt of inspiration it came to him and his head snapped up.

'He didn't hold your hand?' he asked abruptly. Everyone in room turned to look at him in confusion.

'What?' Elena cried, completely baffled.

'You said upstairs, when you saw Matt, he didn't hold your hand.'

'Yes, what has that got to do with anything?' she frowned at him impatiently.

'Did he touch you at all?' Damon asked quickly, moving forward towards the fireplace. Elena's face hardened.

'Damon if this is one of your sleazy ...'

'Just answer the question Elena', he cut her off. She looked taken aback by the vehemence of his interruption. 'Please', he finished in a softer voice, attempting to take the edge off of his previous outburst.

'No', she replied tersely, 'He didn't touch me at all. Why, Damon?' Damon leaned back against the fireplace and turned to Jeremy who was looking at him with the same bewilderment as his sister.

'Does that not sound familiar to you Jeremy? Appear out of nowhere then gone again, no touching allowed?' he raised his eyebrows meaningfully. Jeremy's lost stare lasted for only a split second longer before his jaw slackened and his eyes widened in understanding.

'You think he's a ghost?' Jeremy gasped. Damon shrugged.

'Can you think of any other explanation?' he answered stonily. There was a general clamour of disbelief from the room. Elena jumped to her feet shaking her head.

'Damon that doesn't make sense. For one thing Matt is still alive and secondly how would I see him?' she pointed out heatedly.

'I don't know Elena, but if he's not a dream or a hallucination he has to be something', Damon snapped angrily. Jeremy was shaking his head, digesting the suggestion carefully.

'It doesn't explain how he could appear though. To see ghosts you need to be thinking about them, pushing to see them and then they have to push back wanting to see you. Elena was unconscious, how could she do that?' he finally asked.

'Exactly!' Damon cried, throwing his hands to the air. 'If she was unconscious she wouldn't have been pushing any way at all, her defences would have been completely down – so surely that's when a ghost could easily slip in.'

'I suppose that's possible', Jeremy nodded slowly. 'But why would Elena be able to see him?'

'Jeremy, you're not buying into this are you?' Elena scoffed, folding her arms and rounding on her brother. As tensions frayed, Stefan suddenly got to his feet and held his arms out in a steadying gesture.

'Wait, wait, wait!' he shouted urgently. 'Six days?' he suddenly barked at Jeremy. Jeremy's face began to twist in frustration.

'What?' he cried.

'Six days!' Stefan repeated, 'You said that he's been in this condition for six days?' Jeremy nodded angrily and Stefan turned to Damon. 'I'd say that would be round about the same time that Elena became a vampire', he breathed. Damon's eyes widened and again a hush fell on the room but this time Elena had been shaken from her initial shock and she tore into the blanket of silence within a moment.

'What does that have to do with anything Stefan?' she cried.

'Oh come on Elena it can't be a coincidence', he went to her and put his hands on her shoulders. 'You were together in the accident, then this happens to him right about the same time you change? There has to be a connection.'

'I think it's definitely a possibility Elena', Caroline told her quietly.

'Oh Caroline not you too', she began to shout exasperatedly.

'Hey!' Stefan shouted until quiet had been sulkily restored in the room. 'There should be a simple way to answer this question.' Everyone looked expectantly at him. 'Jeremy, can you see Matt?' At once everyone's eyes turned to Jeremy and for a moment he looked frightened. He glanced nervously around the room then a strength seemed to fill his eyes and he nodded grimly.

'I don't know. I would need to concentrate. If everyone was quiet for a moment I could give it a shot.' As if on cue, the second Jeremy called for silence there was a high pitched beeping from across the room that caused everyone to jump. Caroline sheepishly started fishing in her pocket.

'Sorry, that's my phone', she whispered. She grabbed it and after a brief glance at the screen to see who was calling, her face fell and she held up one apologetic finger before running from the room. Elena frowned after her.

'Glad we're not doing anything important here', she growled indignantly but her thoughts were suddenly derailed by Damon clapping his hands in a business-like manner.

'It's probably for the best', he said briskly, 'I doubt very much that Barbie _could_ keep quiet for a moment so let's get on with this so that I can accept your apologies for jumping down my throat when I suggested it', he finished wryly sitting self importantly on the couch. Elena rolled her eyes but didn't rebuke him, instead she took Jeremy by the elbow and steered him to the chair and eased him into it. She sunk to her knees in front of him.

'I hate to admit it but he has got a point', she cast a spiteful glance at Damon. 'We don't have anything to lose. Try, Jer', she encouraged him. Jeremy nodded his assent. As everyone fell into a deathly silence, Elena suddenly realised how creepy it had become in the living room. The flicker of the fire had somehow become menacing and instead of emitting light, the lamps seemed to absorb it into tight little pools around their bases. The shadows loomed over her threateningly and a shiver rippled up her spine but she tried to ignore it and concentrate on her brother. Just when she thought that this excruciating quiet would go on forever, Jeremy let out a loud, laboured breath and shook his head.

'I'm sorry, I can't feel him', he sighed regretfully. Elena sat back on her haunches, disappointment stealing away the little energy that she had. She dropped her head into her hands, unaware that Damon was watching her so closely that he could make out every changing line of her face until it became hidden from view.

'Maybe, you could both try?' he suggested in a quiet, steady voice. Elena's head slowly came back up, the effort of the movement clear on her face. She looked at Jeremy.

'How do you do it?' she asked softly.

'Just think about Matt, think of something personal, something specific. That usually helps', he replied, putting a comforting hand on his sister's shoulder. She nodded then the air once again grew quiet and tense as they both focussed. A minute went by, then another until Elena finally, threw herself forward, slapping her knees and letting out an incoherent cry.

'For God's sake Matt!' she shouted glancing wildly around the room. 'I know you were real! I swear, if you _are_ here and deliberately not showing yourself so that I look like a crazy person, I will kill you myself Matt Donovan! We can only help you if you speak to us. Please Matt', she finally dissolved into a whimper, the sudden burst of rage exhausting her, 'You will not die because of me'. She glanced hopefully around the room but there was still only deafening silence. Disappointment crept across the room and everyone felt the tension leave their limbs, when suddenly Elena shot to her feet. Jeremy jumped at the shock but his sister stood in the middle of the room with a frightening air of determination, her body rigid and her eyes aflame.

'That's it!' she shouted, 'I am going down to that hospital right now and feeding him my blood until he wakes up! Then I'm letting him have it!' Everyone around her gaped at her, all words lost, but before she could make a move, one voice rang out as clear as a bell.

'Don't you dare.' It was the only voice that could have stopped her. Her step faltered and she whirled around in the direction of the sound. A figure was standing on the very periphery of the fire's glow. In the dancing reflection of the flames he barely looked corporeal but, none the less, it was Matt. She gawped and any words that she wanted to utter stuck in her throat. For a moment she could hardly move for the joy that coursed through her, then it quickly dissipated as she began to think about what this could mean. Suddenly she felt the burning stare of several pairs of eyes in the back of her neck and she swallowed hard.

'He's there', she whispered. 'Can't you see him?' Suddenly she felt a hand on her arm. It was her brother.

'Yes, I can see him', he replied calmly. She was aware of the collective relieved exhalation of breath behind them but she would not turn her head away from the fireplace.

'What do you mean, 'don't you dare'?' she asked, her voice shaking with emotion. At last Matt turned his head to face them completely.

'You know what I mean', he told her soberly, his eyes piercing her right through. 'If this is how I have to go then this is how I'm going. As me. As a human. No offence Elena, but I would never want to be a vampire', he finished heatedly.

'But it wouldn't ...' she began to argue, unaware of the bewildered looks on Stefan and Damon's faces at her back.

'It might', Matt replied sharply. 'I'm not taking that chance. I don't want any part of it. You had your choice, now give me mine. _Do not_ give me blood'. Elena's face crumbled and Jeremy tightened his grip on her arm.

'He's right, Elena', her brother told her softly. 'You've got to respect his choice.' Tears were already filling Elena's eyes and Damon could not take it anymore.

'You two are aware that right now we are watching you talk to a fireplace, right?' he finally blustered, ignoring Stefan's warning look. 'We can't hear him! What's going on?' Elena inhaled sharply as Damon's voice shattered the hushed atmosphere in the room. 'Is he a ghost? I mean in the literal sense?' he continued.

'No', Elena gasped, then she looked at Matt with uncertainty. 'I mean ... I don't know. Are you?' her eyes became wide with anxiety. At last this brought a small smile to Matt's face.

'No', he replied, 'At least I don't think so. I seem to be able to go back and forth to the hospital if I think about it. I've heard the doctors say that I'm still alive ... but I think it's mostly down to the machines.'

'His body is still being kept alive by the machines in the hospital', Elena relayed to the others, never taking her eyes from her friend. Slowly he began to smile.

'I thought I'd said goodbye to you', he shook his head. 'I never dreamed you'd be able to see me when you woke up properly. How is it that you can see me? And Jeremy' he asked wonderingly, looking between them.

'Well ... you must be _some kind_ of ghost', Jeremy reasoned. 'That's the only way I could be able to see you but Elena ...we don't know', he finished weakly. Damon watched the exchange keenly, his brain once again working overtime but he could not figure out what new mischief was now toying with them and it frustrated him endlessly.

'Elena', he lashed out in his helplessness, 'You look like you're about to start the 100m sprint standing there, could you at least sit down while we try to figure this out?'. Elena wrinkled her nose in irritation.

'No', she snapped, then to Matt she continued, 'I'm scared if I take my eyes off you this spell will break and you'll be gone.' Once again her words shot straight to the spot in Damon's mind that he just couldn't quite reach before and the answer came blazing into his consciousness. He leapt to his feet and started for the drinks cabinet with an exaggerated laugh.

'Damon?' Stefan admonished him.

'The spell!' Damon cried triumphantly, another glass of bourbon already in his hand. 'Don't you see? It has to be the spell.'

'What spell?' Jeremy countered evenly. Damon gave an impatient wave of his arm almost sending the bourbon sloshing across the carpet.

'That Matt has to sleep for a hundred years and be woken by a prince's kiss, Jeremy', Damon rolled his eyes sarcastically, 'what spell do you think? Esther's spell!' he slammed the glass back onto the counter emphatically. Slowly realisation began to seep into Stefan's face. Elena was shaking her head.

'But that spell was between Alaric and me', she winced as she heard herself say his name. Jeremy too was now sinking to a sitting position on the table behind her.

'He's right Elena', he sighed, 'Bonnie once told me about this, about a kind of 'snap back' when a spell is broken', he explained.

'You think the spell that linked Alaric and Elena has ... rebounded onto me?' gasped Matt, then noticing that Elena was still staring manically at him he moved away from the fire. 'For heaven's sake Elena you can stop glaring at me, I'm not going to disappear.' At once Elena seemed to realise that she was being ridiculous and her shoulders immediately relaxed. At last she turned back into the room to face the others.

'How is that possible?' she asked.

'Well', Stefan began slowly from where he still sat on the couch, 'a witch's magic is drawn from the earth, it depends on life. When you died, Alaric died too and the spell was broken ... or complete – either way, it ended. I suppose, if what you say is true Jeremy and there is a 'snap back', then it might have encountered Matt, the only living person in the vicinity and latched onto him.' Everyone was quiet as they digested this theory.

'But that doesn't make sense', Jeremy finally pointed out. 'If that was the case and the spell was transferred then why didn't Matt die when Elena died?' Nobody spoke. A half hearted shrug was the most that anyone could manage as the answer eluded them.

'You know', Damon finally mused, 'as much as I hate to admit it, we could really use a witch right now.' Elena's face fell even further as she sat unhappily on the couch.

'Shame the best one we know isn't talking to any of us', she sniffed. Damon allowed a sly smile to creep over his face and in flash of vampire speed he was behind the couch, his hands gently kneading her shoulders. She gasped out loud and instinctively tried to swat him away but there was no strength in her objections. Deep down she had been longing to feel his touch again and the suddenness of it was enough to make her insides melt.

'Oh I'm pretty sure she's still taking to one of us', he grinned next to Elena's ear and he looked over her shoulder, directly at Jeremy. For a moment Jeremy looked surprised and backed away a step.

'Me? How? I told you', he stammered, 'Bonnie won't help me. She told me the daylight ring was the last thing she would do.' Damon grinned and moved away from Elena, slowly stalking towards her brother.

'Jeremy, she made that ring for you', he cooed dangerously. 'You were her special squeeze for a while and you're still on the human team', his eyes flashed. 'I'm willing to bet the last drop of bourbon in the house that you still know how to get in touch with her.' Jeremy was frozen like a rabbit caught in headlights, Damon's fierce glare rooting him to the spot. For a moment Elena could see panic rushing through his eyes and then finally his whole body sagged.

'Fine', he retorted angrily. 'I have a cell phone number but that's it', he admitted furiously. Stefan and Elena gasped and shot to their feet.

'Jeremy!' she exclaimed, 'you were just going to keep this to yourself? How could you?'

'Look she made me promise, okay?' Jeremy defended himself. 'She gets to have her own choice too, a promise to her is as important to me as ...'

'Your sister?' Elena attacked him. 'You were going to let me die up there ... in that pain ... without asking Bonnie for help?' Jeremy grew more and more distressed as Elena backed him towards the wall.

'Well ... I ...'

'I can't believe you. You are supposed to be my brother!' Elena continued her tirade, her voice rising to a shout. 'I could have died and you wouldn't even ask ...' Jeremy was pressed against the wall and finally he couldn't take it anymore.

'I did, all right? I did ask', he exploded. 'I asked her and she wouldn't help, ok?' Elena stopped at once, her finger still pointed accusingly into her brother's chest. Her face flooded with sadness and betrayal. 'I'm sorry', Jeremy spoke again, softly. 'She wouldn't help.' Elena immediately drew away and they all looked at her cautiously. Without another word she retreated to the couch and curled up in the corner of it, her legs tucked underneath her. Stefan and Damon exchanged a worried look and for a moment everyone was lost for words. Suddenly, however, the silence was broken by footsteps from the hallway and Caroline reappeared at the door. She surveyed the scene carefully for a moment, Elena rocking on the couch again and, Jeremy still pressed against the wall with a shell shocked look on his face. She turned expectantly to Stefan for some kind of explanation but none was forthcoming. She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.

'All right, what did I miss?' '


	15. Chapter 15

Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 15

Caroline squirmed under the looks that she received and felt worse with every passing second that nobody spoke. Finally, Damon, who had resumed his drink by the cabinet, shrugged his shoulders with a hint of annoyance.

'The witch is a bitch', he replied unhelpfully. Stefan rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples before crossing the room to stand beside Caroline.

'Jeremy already called and asked Bonnie for help with Elena', he explained, then he looked at his feet before finishing. 'She said no'. Caroline was confused for a moment, then a wild fire seemed to fill her eyes.

'No?' she cried, 'No? She can't say no! You don't say no to your best friend', she seethed, rushing to Elena's side and once more securing her arm around her friend's shoulders. 'I don't care if we are vampires, we are her friends! Ask her again Jeremy. Tell her I said that she should be ashamed of herself.'

'You really in the mood for another witchy headache Barbie?' Damon quipped, leaning against the wall. Caroline shot him a glance of pure fury.

'I don't care', she stated. 'Jeremy, call her right now and tell her', she blustered indignantly. Jeremy looked shamefully at his feet.

'Caroline, what's the point?' he beseeched her. 'She won't help.'

'Yes she will', Elena suddenly cut in grimly, surprising everyone. She turned to her brother who looked at her uncertainly, his head shaking slightly. 'She will', Elena repeated positively. 'Because this isn't about me, this is about Matt.' She smile weakly into the corner near the bookcase. Caroline followed her gaze for a moment, unsure of what Elena was looking at until finally the penny dropped.

'Oh my God, Matt? You saw him? He's here?' she babbled excitedly. Elena seemed to have used all her strength though and she only nodded sadly. Her eyes never left Matt's face which continued to give her an encouraging smile. 'She'll help you', Elena told him softly. Matt nodded.

'I know she will, but I'm sorry things have turned out like this', he replied. She nodded briskly then seemed to gather herself and stood up.

'Jeremy, call her', she commanded. Jeremy nodded unhappily and headed out into the hallway, pulling his phone from his pocket. Elena sighed heavily and started towards the drinks cabinet. She had reached it before she realised that Damon was already standing there holding a full glass out to her. He didn't miss the gratitude in her eyes as she took it and cradled it in her hands.

'How are you feeling?' he asked quietly, his eyes concentrating intently on the second glass of bourbon that he was pouring for himself. She felt the hardness that had set her features soften as he spoke.

'I'll survive', she sighed distantly, 'I always do'.

'If I've got anything to do with it you will', he replied, his voice still as soft as silk and so comforting that it raised a tiny smile. His eyes flickered up to hers and her skin began to tingle as she was held deeply in his intense gaze. Then a corner of his mouth twitched, betraying the impishness that was constantly bubbling beneath his surface. 'Cheers', he grinned and clinked his glass against hers, waking her pleasantly from her reverie. She found herself smiling at him as he downed his bourbon in one and she did the same.

'Elena?' she suddenly heard her name and felt oddly like an extremely private moment had just been interrupted. She shook the feeling off, however, and turned to face Caroline. 'Elena I have to go, but I'll be back soon', she bit her lip nervously. Elena blinked for a moment, taken aback.

'You have to go?' she asked blankly. 'In the middle of... everything? Go where?' Caroline immediately looked at the floor and avoided her friend's gaze.

'There's just something I have to do, but I'll be back soon, I promise', she assured Elena and grabbed her hand, giving it a quick squeeze. 'I'll see you soon', then she was heading for the door. Elena was shocked into silence for a moment then she began to shake her head in confusion.

'No, wait, Caroline!' she called, chasing her friend into the hall but just as she caught up to her at the front door she heard footsteps behind them. Both girls whipped around and saw Jeremy coming down the stairs. Elena felt her heart drop to the floor.

'Did you get her? Did you speak to her?' Caroline asked anxiously. Jeremy nodded unhappily. Elena moved a few steps towards her brother and it was enough space for Caroline to get the front door open.

'I'll be back soon, you can fill me in then', she said firmly but Elena was now too pre-occupied by the worried look on Jeremy's face to wonder about her friend's desertion. She didn't even turn her head as Caroline closed the door behind her when she rushed out.

'Jeremy what is it?' she asked, a slight tremor in her voice. The sudden dash into the hall had reminded her of the weakness that continued to persist in her body and she now felt overcome with physical and mental weariness. Jeremy seemed to sense that she was fading and took her by the arm.

'Let's go back into the living room. You don't look so good', he suggested carefully.

'I'm fine', Elena bit back but there was no mistaking the lethargy that was beginning to bleed through her body again and she let Jeremy lead her back into the living room.

'Matt?' she asked almost immediately and glanced around frantically to make sure that the apparition of her friend was still there. She found him once again by the fire, gazing wistfully into the flames.

'I'm here', Matt replied, but he seemed to look fainter now than he had before.

'Is he here?' Stefan asked, oblivious to Matt's reply and he began to walk towards the fireplace where Elena had been looking.

'Stop!' Jeremy, Matt and Elena all cried at the same time and Stefan halted right before the spot where Matt stood.

'What!' he gasped, looking wildly around as if he expected an attack at any moment. Jeremy and Elena looked at each other, then at Matt. Matt was already hurrying out of Stefan's path.

'I don't know how that would feel but I'm sure not finding out', he shook his head, slightly aghast.

Stefan continued to stare questioningly at them and finally Jeremy cleared his throat.

'Uh, it was just a ... near miss. Yeah ... none of us really wanted to see that', he finished squeamishly while Elena rolled her eyes. Stefan looked lost for another second then he looked around at the space Matt had just vacated and realisation hit him like a truck.

'Oh!' he cried, jumping back. Damon sighed impatiently in the corner and strode forward to pull his brother back into the centre of the room.

'Do you mind telling us where Matt is now before we have any other ectoplasmic embarrassment?' he asked dryly. Elena and Jeremy pointed as one to Matt's new position on the other side of the fireplace. His eyes were now wide.

'I have ectoplasm?' he asked excitedly. Jeremy threw his head back exasperatedly and flopped onto the couch.

'I don't know Matt!' he replied, his voice strained. 'Now do you want to hear what Bonnie had to say or not?' At once the mood in the room sobered and everyone became quiet. Elena slowly sat beside him and took a deep breath.

'Go on Jer', she told him solemnly. Jeremy looked around uncomfortably then sat forward so that he was leaning on his knees.

'First of all, she says that she can't know for sure because a witch as old as Esther could know all kinds of magic that she's never even heard of. She also said that spells are a very personal thing, all sorts of elements of a witch's personality can get bound up in their spells so it's not possible for her to know exactly what's happened ...' he trailed off. Elena felt that the discouragement in the room was palpable.

'But?' she cajoled him, unable to wait any longer.

'But she can take a guess', Jeremy went on reluctantly. 'I was right, there is an element of recoil on a spell and she thinks that Stefan might be on the right track. When Elena died, Alaric died and the spell was complete. Because it was a particularly powerful spell, it snapped back and, like Stefan thought, came across a living thing close by. Matt.'

'I'm always in the right place at the right time', Matt breathed unhappily and Elena gave him a sympathetic smile while Stefan grimaced, unaware of Matt's interjection.

'I suppose if a witch puts elements of her personality into her magic then a spell would have a life of its own. One so powerful and by someone who is an expert at survival would have _wanted_ to perpetuate itself', Stefan mused gravely. Jeremy gave a tiny nod.

'If Matt had drowned in the car too then that would have been the end of it, the spell would have naturally ended but because you were alive, Bonnie thinks it has latched onto you, linked you and Elena.'

'But, Matt didn't become Casper the Friendly Ghost right away', Damon pointed out, his face thoughtful. Jeremy's eyes closed in agreement.

'That was the other thing Bonnie said', he explained. 'The original spell was between a human and an original, a vampire. Those were the parameters that the spell recognised. When it re aligned itself between two humans it became confused and didn't work the same way'. Damon leaned back against the wall and folded his arms seriously across his chest.

'Then Elena became a vampire', he hissed. Jeremy rubbed his forehead.

'Exactly. When Elena became a vampire it sort of rebooted the spell and reinforced the link.'

'But wouldn't that have killed Matt?' Elena whispered, not daring to glance at the spectre of Matt standing as still as a statue in the fire light. All the colour seemed to have drained from Jeremy's face.

'That's just the thing', he told them quietly. 'It did.' As Elena's hand tightened on his arm in a vice like grip and Matt let out a strangled cry Jeremy tried frantically to hush them. 'But!' he finally caught their attention, 'By that time he was already on life support.' Elena still looked utterly shaken by his previous statement but the Salvatores were both now beginning to look like they understood.

'So you're saying', Stefan clarified slowly, 'that Matt was killed when Elena turned into a vampire, but the ventilators that he was already on in the hospital saved him?'

'Bonnie thinks that's why he stopped improving so suddenly. The Doctors' treatment worked but the spell ... well it can't be treated with drugs', he finished, looked apologetically at Matt.

'That would explain why he's a ghost', Stefan nodded, looking cautiously around as if hoping to see Matt for himself. 'And why Elena can see him. Dead but his body kept artificially alive and mentally linked to Elena.'

'That's what Bonnie thought', Jeremy paused as if considering whether he should continue then he lifted his head, his decision made. 'She also said that there was a chance, a small chance that if we could remove the spell before it was completed again, I mean before anyone dies, then ...'

'Then what, Jeremy?' Matt demanded urgently. Everyone in the room hung on Jeremy's unfinished sentence.

'Then it might undo the magic, your spirit would return to your body and you might wake up'. Elena leapt to her feet and crossed the room to Matt, determination giving her a little burst of extra strength.

'Then that's what we'll do, Matt. We'll figure it out. We'll get rid of the spell and you'll be fine', she promised vehemently. He was so touched by the unwavering belief in her words that some of the distress melted from Matt's face.

'But Elena we don't know how', Jeremy reminded her. 'Even Bonnie didn't know. A spell by someone so old and so strong ... there might not be a way to break it.'

'We'll find a way', Elena told them and she turned to the others, a challenge in her eyes, daring them to disagree with her.

'Just one small thing', Damon's quiet, intense voice suddenly cut across the room. 'If this ... spell', he spat the word out as if he abhorred it, 'is now between Matt and Elena. What will happen if Mummy turns up in a day or two and decides that his life has had enough support?' A freezing dread smothered the room as Stefan whispered,

'The original spell will have been restored. If Matt dies then Elena ...'

'Then we had better move quickly', Elena cried, her voice hard and angry. She indicated wildly with her arm as she spoke, 'Jeremy, call Bonnie again, make her listen, make her help you figure out how to break the spell.' As she spoke she felt her legs wobble beneath her, the sudden exertion again taking a huge toll on her strength. 'Stefan, get to the hospital and speak to Meredith, make sure that nobody switches that machine off. Sorry Matt, but I don't care what your mom ...' and then her voice was lost into a gasp of pain as her knees finally buckled.

Damon, who had been watching every ounce of power as it drained from her was next to her in a second. Before she could slump to the floor, his arms were around her and she found herself gathered protectively to his chest. She found herself clinging to his shirt as if it was the only thing keeping her upright, but she had no need as he supported her easily. His arms were so steady and strong that she felt that familiar tingling on her skin again and slowly she turned her wide eyes up to his face.

And suddenly it was the young, carefree face framed by raven curls that she had seen so often now. She hadn't even felt the shift into Katherine's memories this time. She felt like screaming and crying at being trapped in this serpentine mind once again but, as usual, this body gave no response. She looked up into Damon's eyes and was distressed to find that the clear blue pools were stormy and sad. Katherine's consciousness was swirling lazily around her own, her disinterest in the situation abundantly clear.

'Do not choose him, Katherine', Damon said seriously. He was not pathetic or begging, it was as though he was simply stating a fact. 'My brother is a good man and the only person that I am still pleased to call my family. I love him, but he will never love you like I do, Katherine', he gave a sad smile and squeezed her more tightly. 'I would give you the world, there is no problem that I will not bleed myself dry trying to solve for us. I will fight for you. Even if it is my brother. I will fight, for us I will always fight', he finished, toying with one tendril of her dark curled hair that hung down to her breast. Katherine's mind became unexpectedly curious and intent. Some kind of unfamiliar emotion seemed to swell in her. She reached up and ran one finger along his beautifully soft lips and Elena felt dizzy with desire. Katherine was only interested in Damon and those great, sad eyes, Elena couldn't see where they were, what kind of room they were in or even if they were outside. All that existed in this memory was Damon, pressed tightly against her and commanding all her attention. His speech seemed so big and grand in the claustrophobic space and even Katherine was unable to wander from his passionate intent. The intimacy and urgency was intoxicating and Elena felt like she might faint if she didn't feel his skin on hers soon.

'I know Damon. You will fight, you are always at war', Katherine nodded, her thoughts foggy in a haze of lust but her tone was uncharacteristically sincere. Her hands crept teasingly down his chest and burrowed under his jacket. The same burgeoning emotion was becoming oppressive to Elena, Katherine was feeling it so intensely that Elena couldn't decipher exactly what it was. Pleasure? Pain? Disdain? She couldn't tell. At last Katherine snuggled as close to Damon's chest as she could and raised her eyes to him again. 'Do you think that someday you might actually win?' she asked and Elena could swear that her voice was wistful. Damon gave her a strong, commanding smile. He nodded slowly.

'Some day', he replied and then his lips were pressed against hers and they were kissing. They kissed urgently and passionately, Damon pulling her roughly into him even though they had already filled all the space that existed between them. As she tasted his tongue Elena thought she would go wild with pleasure and when Katherine threw her arms around Damon's neck her thoughts were a red turmoil of desire. Damon leaned forward and caught her behind her knees, sweeping her up into his arms.

As he began to carry her, however, she suddenly realised that the hazy passion was abruptly gone and had been replaced by a worrying heaviness in all her limbs. She was hit by the sickening realisation that she could move again and she snapped her head up to see that Damon was indeed carrying her, only they were back in the living room of the boarding house and that it was the world weary face that she recognised once more. He quickly and gently deposited her on the couch and stepped back while the others gathered round her in concern. Suddenly she felt the awful blaze spread up her throat and before she knew what had happened, she lunged towards Jeremy.

Luckily she had about as much strength as a new born kitten and Jeremy easily evaded her clutching arms. Stefan pinned her to the couch by her shoulders and, before he could even shout for help, Damon had reappeared with a blood bag in his hand and he pressed it to Elena's lips. She drank guiltily, tears in her eyes but his face was friendly and carried no hint of judgement, which eased her mind significantly. At last he sat back on the couch next to her and tossed the drained bag away. Stefan, satisfied that the madness had left her, released her shoulders and collapsed backwards into the armchair. Elena lay panting on the couch and willing her fangs to recede. She could hardly bear the guilt that shot through her when she looked at Jeremy huddled in the corner, his eyes wide with anguish. Matt was nowhere to be seen.

'Matt?' she hissed 'Where's Matt?' Jeremy glanced around suddenly but before he could say anything, Matt's image wavered into existence at her side, like a reflection resolving itself. Relief washed over her. 'Where did you go?' she begged him. Matt shook his head in confusion.

'I was right here', he replied. Jeremy moved a step closer again.

'I guess we stopped thinking about him' he admitted awkwardly. 'Elena passed out and I was so concerned about her, I guess we stopped thinking about you. Sorry Matt', he shrugged apologetically. Elena covered her face for a moment, exhaustion threatening to overwhelm her. Damon angrily got to his feet.

'We can't let this keep happening!' he cried. 'She's getting weaker and weaker every time', he pointed out heatedly. He turned back to Elena and some of the wind left his sails when he saw her lying there so pathetically. 'Are you ok?' he asked, his voice harsh but his eyes soft. She nodded.

'Think so. Why didn't you give me _your_ blood?' she asked him, then quickly regretted it when she remembered what had happened the last time. She could see the recollection in his eyes too and a smile tugged at his lips.

'I can give you some if you want?' he offered, a dark humour permeating twisting his smile into something she found utterly irresistible. She couldn't help a smile growing on her own face.

'Maybe later', she admonished him, 'I already feel better. The pain is not so bad, it's just this ... lethargy. And your blood didn't help that', she explained ruefully.

'You can't keep feeding her blood indefinitely', Stefan snapped, 'We need to fix this. Because I'm pretty sure this spell works both ways. Remember what happened to Alaric', Stefan gestured towards the spot where he guessed Matt was standing.

'You mean if Elena dies then Matt dies too?' Jeremy voiced Stefan's implied concern.

'Okay, stop!' Damon suddenly rose to his feet and held his hands out in a way that brought all conversation in the room to a stop. 'Nobody is going to die. We've fought for long enough, we are not giving in now', he growled. Elena felt a pang of sympathy as she remembered her most recent vision. It was true. Damon was always fighting. Fighting for Katherine, fighting himself, fight for her. He had never won yet, he had had no encouragement but still he fought. He believed in her enough to fight tooth and nail for her. 'We are not going to be taken down by a stupid spell that's gone wrong. Or some crazy doppelganger curse. We are going to fix this. All of it. And I think we start by going for the one person who always knows more than she is letting on. Katherine.' The way he held his jaw high and strong was enough to inspire belief in anyone thought Elena and, not for the first time, she felt herself swell with gratitude for all the things that he had done for her.

'But how do we find her?' Stefan, countered irately, rankled that Damon was attempting to save the day.

'Well we know she was in San Francisco a few days ago', Jeremy began uncertainly.

'No good', Damon cut him off tersely, 'she could be half way around the world right now. Nope', he exclaimed animatedly, leaning over the back of the couch next to Elena. 'I think we need to take another sneaky peak into Miss Pierce's live feed.' Elena's brow furrowed while Stefan became very quiet and still in the armchair.

'But Elena only saw Katherine in the present once, when she fed off the man in the forest', Jeremy pointed out stepping back to the couch next to Damon for the first time since Elena's outburst. Damon didn't reply but merely cocked his head and looked at him pointedly. Jeremy at once became edgy.

'No', he laughed nervously. 'Who can she feed on here?' Damon grinned and threw an arm expansively around Jeremy's shoulders.

'Hel-_lo_ lunch', he quipped wickedly. Jeremy pulled back immediately and Stefan judiciously got to his feet.

'Damon don't be ridiculous, she can't feed on Jeremy', he scolded his brother.

'Why not?' Damon demanded. 'He's human, we're pushed for time here, brother'.

'Because she might kill him!' Stefan cried, crossing the room and pulling his brother away from Jeremy. Damon scoffed.

'She wouldn't beat a puppy in a fight right now', he brushed Stefan off, 'Plus you and I are both here. He's in no danger. I'm sure we can take down the tiniest, weakest vampire in the world if things get out of hand.'

'Hey!' Elena warned him from the couch where she was shuffling herself back up into a sitting position.

'Sorry', Damon grinned. 'Now are we doing this?' Damon continued enthusiastically. Jeremy gave a huff of exasperation and stomped around to the couch.

'Fine', he complained. 'Just ... don't let it hurt', he whined. Elena was touched by his gesture and reached forward to pat his shoulder.

'I'm sorry Jeremy', she told him seriously. Jeremy sighed angrily.

'Just get it over with', he closed his eyes tightly.

'Right', Damon licked his lips. 'Stefan, you'd better get back if there is going to be human blood. Just to be safe.' Stefan looked like he was about to argue and then he retreated to the hall, his face like thunder. 'Jeremy', Damon went on, 'I think best place to do it is at the wrist so that you can keep your distance. Let Elena take a little nip and once I prise her off you get the hell back out of arms' reach, got it?' Jeremy nodded, his features frozen with fear. 'Elena, you ready?' he asked her encouragingly. Elena unhappily assented. Damon suddenly was shunting her forward on the couch and sliding in behind her. His limbs secured her own and he squeezed her back flush against his chest. Elena shuddered as she realised how often in the last few days he had needed to restrain her like this and then again when she admitted to herself how much she liked it. 'Okay Jeremy', Damon directed confidently, 'Stay back but extend your wrist as far from your body as possible and bring it to her mouth.' Elena felt a rush of sympathy as she realised that her brother was shaking. Very slowly he inched his arm closer to Elena's face until the smell of his blood filled her nostrils and clouded her mind. The paralysing hunger started to explode throughout her whole body and her fangs extended greedily. Without a second thought she sank them into her brother's flesh.

It was so satisfying that Elena could hardly form a coherent thought. She gulped hungrily, her whole body feeling aflame with life and the pleasure erupted in a peak of euphoria that threatened to make her whole world shatter. Then with a dizzying swirl she was looking directly at herself. No, not at herself, she realised as the voice in her head began to chatter. Katherine was standing in an exquisite marble bathroom and looked happily into the mirror with vain pride. She was wearing an electric blue dress that plunged between her breasts and dusted the floor around her high heels. Her hair had clearly just been arranged in beautiful waves and she was applying a last flick of mascara while she gazed into the mirror.

'Are you sure everything's going to plan?' came a voice suddenly and Katherine turned around to see a red headed girl sitting on the edge of the bath behind her. Katherine gave a sly smile.

'Things were slower than I anticipated but some very helpful people called a few days ago and I think things should be back on track ... any time now', she giggled, so pleased with herself that her thoughts physically danced.

'Then you can enjoy your evening', the girl tried desperately to curry favour with the powerful woman in front of her.

'He's taking me to the best restaurant in San Francisco, I'm sure I will', Katherine gloated, fluffing her hair unnecessarily. 'It won't be long now. Once these loose ends are tied up I'll be gone and there is no way Klaus will ever find me again.' Her thoughts now turned black and furious although Elena was sure that she could detect a hint of fear winding its way through the middle. Katherine turned back to the girl sitting on the bath and snapped her hand out, grasping her chin in a crushing grip. He might be able to fool everyone else into thinking he's dead but not me. One step ahead, darling. That's the only way to live', she raised an eyebrow pointedly and without batting an eyelid she lunged forward and sunk her teeth into the girl's throat. It took only a second for her to drain her and the double sensation of human blood was almost enough to make Elena pass out into an oblivion of bliss. Quickly though it was all over and Katherine let the girl's corpse drop back into the bathtub. She turned back to the mirror and checked her lipstick then made for the bathroom door. When she opened it Elena could tell that it was the same hotel room as before. She recognised the ornate furniture and luxuriant bed clothes. A tall man in dressed in black, like a bodyguard, stood outside the bathroom door. Katherine turned to him flippantly.

'Take care of that', she nodded towards the bathroom while checking the contents of he purse. 'I'm running late for the main course', then she was heading for the door, swaying on her heels like the predator she truly was.

Then suddenly Elena felt a thump and she realised that her body was working again, in fact it was working overtime. She was scrabbling and struggling and her face appeared to be pressed into the floor of the living room in the boarding house. In fact her whole body was being crushed against the floorboards. For a moment she couldn't tell what was squashing her but suddenly a hand slammed down flat at the side of her face. Damon. The reality swamped her and she understood that she must have lost control with Jeremy and Damon had been forced to wrestle her back. Her whole body felt alive with the fresh blood she had just taken but now that she was thinking clearly again she stopped moving and lay still under Damon's body. A moment after her body went limp, Damon's became still too and he lifted a little of his weight off of her onto his elbows and knees.

'It's all right', she gasped, holding her hands above her head surrendering to him, 'I'm all right, I'm in control, I swear!' Damon hesitated for a moment as if he was uncertain about whether to trust her but he soon slithered backwards over her until she felt his upper body peel away from hers completely. Elena breathlessly turned herself over onto her back and took a few deep breaths. She knew that she no longer needed to but the habit was comforting. She looked up to see Damon kneeling over her, still straddling her thighs and eyeing her suspiciously. She hauled herself into a sitting position and then realised that her legs were still trapped beneath him, which brought her face achingly close to his. This left her feeling breathless all over again.

'Jeremy?' she managed to ask, gazing into Damon's loving eyes.

'I'm fine', replied a distant voice and she finally managed to tear her eyes from Damon's to see Jeremy sitting in the armchair with a cloth grasped tightly to his wrist, which he was carefully keeping elevated.

'You're sure you're all right?' she confirmed, her thoughts slowing to a more manageable speed. He nodded.

'Just a scratch', he smiled bravely. Elena felt a surge of affection for her brother and she nodded her gratitude to him. Suddenly the door burst open and Stefan was caught in the threshold, his face furious and impatient. He clearly could not remain exiled from the room a moment longer.

'Well?' he demanded, his eyes narrowing as he took in the scene before him, Damon still astride Elena and her head practically nuzzled into his neck. 'Did it work?' he finished, his voice rigid. Elena, nodded emphatically, somehow feeling the need to appease his wounded expression.

'San Francisco, definitely still in San Francisco', she assured them, scrambling out from under Damon and a little ripple of victory circled the room. Then as Damon reluctantly got up and helped her to her feet, the rest of the vision surfaced suddenly in her mind causing her to gasp. 'But we might have another problem', she hissed, grabbing Damon's sleeve urgently. 'I think, or Katherine seems to think that Klaus is still alive.' The triumph that had existed only moments before evaporated completely.

'Klaus? Alive?' Stefan repeated. 'It's not possible'. Damon looked uncertain for a moment before his features set into a firm line.

'One problem at a time', he stated. 'We work on getting to Katherine to help Elena. Who knows, if she has information about Klaus then that might help us with this spell too. Come on', he scoffed, looking between them in a completely endearing attempt to rouse their spirits. 'We can handle one more problem. There's not much left to go wrong now?'

The words had barely left his mouth when there came an almighty commotion from the hallway which made each one of them jump. A deafening, shattering noise split the air as the glass in every window in the hallway broke simultaneously and the door was wrenched from its hinges. As they watched in shock, dark figures began to pour into the house.


	16. Chapter 16

**Eyes of the Doppelganger - Chapter 16**

**I don't own anything to do with the vampire diaries. This is just for fun.**

'Get down!' cried Stefan furiously and Elena dropped to the carpet just before a barrage of wooden stakes whistled through the air and splintered violently against the wall. Paintings were knocked from their hooks and ornaments shattered as the air became alive with tiny pieces of flying debris. Shock kept each of them flattened to the carpet for a moment until, like an army, at least ten people were charging violently into the room. There was a second of relative quiet following the initial uproar of their entrance, then suddenly all hell broke loose. Damon and Stefan were back on their feet and they met the invading figures head on. The first to reach Stefan was sent crashing to the carpet by a sickening blow to the back of the neck before he was set upon by another two. Damon pounded his attacker squarely in the chest and he flew backwards into the drinks cabinet, glass and liquor gushing across the carpet and soaking the cuffs of Elena's jeans. The burst of cold liquid forced her back to her senses and she scrambled backwards across the carpet on her knees until she was shielded by the armchair.

In the midst of the tumult she glanced frantically at the carnage before her. Damon and Stefan were still on their feet, although she noticed that a wooden stake was protruding savagely from Damon's upper arm, blood soaking his shirt around it. It only seemed to have made him angrier though as he beat two of the assailants mercilessly into the ground at his feet. Stefan too was fighting bravely and was wrestling with someone by the fireplace, trying to force a stake from his hand. The same desperate thought kept circling through Elena's mind, 'who are these people?' Every single one of these unknown enemies was dressed in non-descript black clothing and she didn't recognise any of the crazed faces. She was sure that they must be vampires, Stefan and Damon would have been standing atop a pile of bodies by now if they had been human, but she had no idea what they could want.

Another stake hurtled past, narrowly missing her leg that was still extending beyond the cover of the armchair and exploded into the fireplace. A shower of flaming wood exploded into the air and then bounced across the carpet. Elena gasped as she saw them roll towards the spilled alcohol and in a burst of survival instinct, she leapt to her feet and vaulted over the chair, just as the liquid ignited and began to blaze fiercely. Elena felt numb with fear but as everything around her began to spiral out of control, she suddenly had another thought. Jeremy.

Immediately she looked for her brother and realised that he was huddled in the opposite corner of the room, one of the black figures, a man, approaching him fearsomely. Elena opened her mouth to call for Damon or Stefan but the words stuck in her throat as she realised that they were both deeply embroiled in a vicious struggle with a particularly skilled fighter who was holding them at bay with a poker he had snatched from their own fireside. Damon already had a long gash along his cheek and the front of Stefan's shirt was torn into sliced into raged strips. The heat of the growing fire made her skin feel like it was about to melt, she felt like a trapped animal and the wild terror that was coursing through her came close to driving her insane. Just as she thought that her panic would become unbearable, she was struck by an earth shattering epiphany. She was a vampire now too. She hadn't wanted it but she was. It was time to start taking responsibility for herself. She didn't need to be the victim ever again.

Buoyed up by this realisation and Jeremy's fresh blood still burning in her veins, Elena leapt to her feet with a snarl that would have made anyone think twice about crossing her. She covered the space of the living room in one leap and was in between her brother and his attacked before anybody had realised that she had moved. She stood hunched forward defensively, fangs extended and looked straight into the unfamiliar face before her with livid eyes.

'Just try it', she hissed, her whole body quivering like a coiled spring. The man in front of her looked her over appraisingly from head to toe and gave a dark smile. Soon it escalated into a chilling laugh.

'You really are the doppelganger aren't you', he grinned menacingly. Elena's guard dropped suddenly, momentarily taken aback by his remark. He pounced on his opportunity like a snake and aimed a punch directly at her head. Even though she was startled, Elena instinctively brought an arm up to deflect the onslaught and then he was attacking her in earnest. He came at her with his fists and legs but somehow the thought of Jeremy, frightened and vulnerable behind her, drove her to meet every blow. She gained confidence with every successful move, driving him further from her brother until they were clear across the room. The smile had long disappeared from her opponents face and he was sinking into desperation, his accuracy dramatically decreased. Elena raised herself ready to land a kick to his stomach which would send him out of the room when, like a cat, he caught her leg as it cut through the air, killing the momentum dead. She realised in the awful moment that he yanked her other leg out from under her that he had been lulling her into a false sense of security. Then she was flat on her back on the carpet, the man looming over her wickedly.

'Nice try doppelganger', he grinned but before he could make his final move, Elena felt her sprawling hand brush against a miraculously intact bourbon bottle that was rolling on the floor. In a flash of inspiration, her fingers closed on it and she hurled it towards the man above, feeling a sick satisfaction as the glass smashed directly over his head. The liquor rained down his face and into his eyes, blinding him for just a second, but it was all that Elena needed. She grabbed his wrist tightly and planted one foot firmly in his stomach, flipping him over the top of her so that he landed in the fire that had now spread across the centre of the room. Immediately he went up in flames and began to give a blood curdling wail. He ran blindly forward, directly into the bookcase and he collided with such force that it crashed to the ground, fire licking its way riotously along the wooden edge. It blocked Elena's way out, trapping her in the corner and she watched with dismay as the flames grew higher in front of her.

She panicked as she realised that she could hardly see the living room. All she could see was wood and fire. Dread rising once more in her throat, she squinted through the smoke and flames to see that the remaining attackers had fled and that Damon and Stefan were turning to the blackening room. They didn't have time to think about their actions, each of them reacted on pure instinct and Elena watched it all. Stefan dashed madly towards Jeremy without a second thought and Damon was charging towards the wall of flame in front of her. Then the smoke billowed in towards her and she could no longer see.

She dropped back to the floor where the air was slightly clearer and felt her insides twist in fear. There was no way that she could last much longer here. She was just contemplating leaping through the flames and hoping that her body would heal afterwards when she heard an almighty crash. Something fell heavily into the middle of the flames causing the floor to shake. Elena jumped back with a scream but quickly realised that it was the other heavy wooden bookcase and that Damon was at the other end. It had cut a temporary path through the blaze but the flames were already starting to flicker up the sides of the ancient wood. There wasn't much time. She flooded with relief as Damon grabbed the slightly singed throw rug from next to the couch, threw it over his head and burst through the flames like a fairytale knight charging a dragon.

In a second he was by her side and had bundled her into the throw, holding her so tightly to him that her feet were lifted slightly from the ground.

'You ok?' he asked her hurriedly in the darkness beneath the rug and he could feel her nodding vehemently in response. 'Good', he replied, 'then run!' Without waiting another second he tightened his grip on her and propelled her towards the flames, rushing her across the bookcase and beyond the fire. He didn't stop moving until he had forced her out of the room and down the hall. When they reached the garden he tore the rug away from them and dropped it at his feet like it was poisonous. For a second Elena felt the cool fresh air sweep over her skin and it was like heaven following the thick, stifling heat of the fire. However, the relief was quickly driven from her when she realised that she could still feel the searing heat in her feet – more than that, it was painful, it was burning. She looked down and realised that the bourbon soaked cuffs of her jeans had taken light when they crossed the fire and the flames were now burning mischievously up her legs.

She immediately screamed out loud, dancing wildly to try and suppress the flames and unfasten her jeans at the same time.

'Damon!' she screeched as she unthinkingly shimmied her pants down to her thighs then all at once, Damon was upon her, knocking her to the ground.

'Hold still!' he yelled and he took hold of her pants, his hands wrapped in the throw rug. He smothered the flames and ripped the ruined pants violently from Elena's legs at the same time, tossing them far across the garden. Elena still writhed for a moment, sure that she was still on fire but Damon took her firmly by the shoulders. 'Elena!' he called, 'It's all right, it's over, you're ok.' At last she stopped struggling and looked up at him. He was giving her a reassuring smile. One of his rare, real smiles. She was so relieved that she didn't even give her next action any thought. She simply did what every instinct in her body was telling her to do. She threw her arms around his neck and pressed as much of him against her as she possible could.

Damon stiffened at first at her sudden closeness, then his arms were around her and he was rubbing her back soothingly. He had not expected such a blatant show of emotion out here in front of the others, especially when she wasn't wearing any pants. That damnable hope taunted him again and he buried his face in her hair. Its usual scent was masked by smoke and the smell of burning but he didn't care. Relief and adrenaline and attraction all mingled together to make him ache for her and he could not reject the glorious feeling of her soft body against him. So he embraced her fiercely just in case he didn't get this chance again. As usual he didn't get very long before he was interrupted. Stefan's voice rang across the garden cold and angry.

'Damon! Do you think at any point you might want to help me stop our house from burning to the ground?' he called, shaking a fire extinguisher at his brother accusingly. Damon pulled back from her and for a second he allowed himself the indulgence of looking deeply into her eyes. She stared back entranced, an altogether more pleasant fire dancing in the pit of her stomach. She had felt it before, always with Damon ... only with Damon and in these past few days it had continued to get stronger and stronger. Elena was afraid that sometime soon it would spread and consume her in its delicious heat. Then perhaps it would have made all her decisions for her. As a pang of disappointment throbbed when his touch left her, she wondered if it already had. Finally he was gone, back into the house behind Stefan to make an attempt at subduing the fire. Elena took a deep breath, once more relishing the cool, clean night air then a feeble cough behind her caused her to turn.

Jeremy was sitting on the grass a few steps away, his face smudged black with smoke. He was struggling to return his breathing to normal but he seemed largely unharmed.

Elena tried to move towards him but felt exhaustion weigh down every limb. In the end she dragged herself across the grass until she could settle a hand on his knee. He glanced up surprised, as if he had been previously unaware of her presence. He closed his eyes and wearily placed his hand on top of hers, waiting patiently as she hauled herself into a sitting position beside him. They said nothing, sitting in a silence that made no demand to be broken. Elena caught hold of the charred throw rug and drew it over both their legs. She felt the material crumble a little in her grip and she noticed how ruined the rug was, barely recognisable from how it had been half an hour earlier. But it had saved her life tonight. Twice. They were good changes and she didn't think that she would ever be able to throw it away now. She and Jeremy continued to sit together, like a pair of refugees, staring blankly into the darkness of the forest beyond the garden. Nothing was said but his hand never left his sister's for a second as the sound of sirens began to fill the air around them.

Elena saw the fire every time she shut her eyes. Every time she blinked. And she saw Stefan and Damon. She saw Stefan make for her brother over and over again without any doubt in his mind. A niggling spring of resentment welled up in her but she quickly batted it away. She had wanted Stefan to help Jeremy first. She was sure that he had thought only of her when he did it but would he really let her die rather than face her pain? Damon ran to her without a second thought but if that had been at the expense of Jeremy's life, how could she ever have looked him in the eye again. Her head began to hurt trying to figure out if one of these reactions was better than the other but it was like trying to solve an impossible riddle and it left her frustrated and unhappy. She scolded herself for having such selfish thoughts while Jeremy still sat wheezing beside her but deep down part of her was deeply disappointed that Stefan wouldn't have at least checked that she was all right first. She supposed now that she was a vampire those courtesies didn't apply any more. And then she felt as if a large part inside of her suddenly shifted. She was no longer aware of the smell of smoke and the roar of approaching fire engines. All that filled her was the realisation that she could look after herself now. The fire aside, which any one of them would have needed help escaping if they had been caught in her position, she had beaten that other vampire fair and square. She didn't _need_ Stefan to protect her any more, she was free to pursue what she _wanted_. She was no longer constrained by human frailty and it felt like she was seeing everything in a completely different light. When that was stripped from their relationship, what was really left?

She remained lost in her thoughts until she realised that someone was gently prying Jeremy's hand from hers. She immediately tensed into a defensive position but calmed somewhat when she heard a female voice.

'Elena, Elena, it's all right'. She felt her shoulders relax as she realised that Meredith was kneeling in front of her, her face full of concern. All of a sudden Elena started coming back to life and realising that two fire engines and an ambulance were parked in front of the boarding house and several uniformed fire fighters were running back and forth frantically.

'Where did you come from?' Elena breathed sharply.

'The hospital gave me a heads up and I rode along in the ambulance to make sure that you were all right', she explained. Elena nodded vacantly.

'I'm fine', she replied, suddenly very aware that she was practically naked from the waist down. She also realised at that moment that all the pain from her ankles had completely disappeared. She rubbed them together beneath the rug and was sure from the smoothness of the skin that she was already completely healed. Meredith smiled kindly.

'I know', she replied, 'But Jeremy might not be, we need to check him out now.' At once all of Elena's anxiety returned and she snapped her head around to her brother. He grinned lethargically back at her.

'Don't listen to her, I'll be fine', he brushed Meredith off but his voice dissolved into a cough.

'I'm sure you will', Meredith agreed, 'But you inhaled a lot of smoke and I'd like to get you into the hospital to make sure everything's ok.' Jeremy and Elena exchanged a glance and finally she gave a weary nod.

'Go on Jer. It's for the best', she assured him. Jeremy wheezed a little in response and put up no argument when Meredith motioned for two nearby paramedics to help him to his feet. Elena yanked herself upright as well, clutching the rug around her waist. Jeremy stopped for a moment as she rose and gave her a long look. Elena couldn't find words to reply and simply grabbed his arm tightly. Then Jeremy said the only words that mattered.

'I love you, don't die again while I'm away.' In spite of herself, Elena let out a short burst of laughter. This seemed to satisfy Jeremy and he allowed the paramedics to take control of him once again.

As they helped him towards the ambulance, Elena started to feel exhaustion stealing through her like a sickness. Yet she still managed to grab Meredith's elbow with enough force to stop her abruptly in her tracks. The young doctor looked at Elena questioningly.

'This wasn't any kind of accident', she told her pointedly, gesturing towards the boarding house. Meredith's face became very serious and uncomfortable.

'I thought not', she said quietly.

'You keep him safe – don't let anything happen to him', she warned, her voice cold enough make Meredith shiver. 'And whatever you do, make sure you don't give him any vampire blood', she finished wryly. She didn't miss the hurt look that flitted across Meredith's face and a small, resentful part of her was glad. However she merely nodded, eager to placate Elena.

'I'll make sure of it', she promised then she turned to follow Jeremy towards the ambulance, relieved to be released from Elena's gaze. As Elena watched them leave she suddenly felt desperately alone. The chill of the night air settled in a dewy film on her skin and she felt a thousand miles away from the hubbub that surrounded the house. The commotion swiftly began to make her feel queasy and her feet, seemingly unbidden, moved her away towards the edge of the garden where the trees began. It was quieter here and the darkness was comforting. She looked into the shadowy leaves and breathed in the scents of the night, the tension within her slowly starting to unwind.

She might have stood there alone and forlorn for half an hour or it may have been five minutes, she was so removed from herself that she couldn't tell. The next thing that she was properly aware of was something warm and soft settling across her shoulders. She jumped slightly and turned to see that Stefan had wrapped her in a thick, warm blanket. She appreciated the gesture and smiled at him gratefully. But it also made her realise that she didn't even notice the cold now that she was a vampire. She could have made more use of a pair of jeans or sweats. However the comfort was nice and she allowed him to put an arm around her, her head resting on his shoulder.

'What about the house?' she asked softly. She felt Stefan shrug briefly beneath her head.

'Don't worry about it', he told her soothingly. 'It's taken a few knocks and bumps playing host to a family of vampires over the years.' She found herself smiling weakly. 'The fire wasn't as bad as it looked. It was all contained in the living room and they managed to get it out before any serious structural damage was done. A couple of weeks and you'll never know it happened', he forced cheer into his voice. Elena raised a corner of her mouth but she couldn't help disagreeing. You would always be able to tell: a charred edge to the flooring, furniture significantly newer than the rest. There was no way to completely patch over some things. Stefan continued blithely however, 'Once we get some cleaners in and get the windows replaced it'll be as good as new.'

'Apart from the smell of smoke hanging around for the next ten years or so', another voice interrupted suddenly and Elena's head shot up from Stefan's shoulder. Damon stood in front of them, something dark in his hands. He tossed it unceremoniously to Elena and her hands flew up, catching it instinctively.

'Can't you be positive for once?' Stefan glowered at his brother but his voice was edged with smugness as his arm tightened on Elena's shoulders. Damon broke into a dangerous grin.

'I'm always positive', he smirked, 'I'm positive that you'll never get the smell of smoke out of that house.' Stefan sighed in exasperation and Elena rubbed her temples despairingly.

'All right', she gave Damon a warning look and felt herself naturally move slightly away from Stefan. She looked over her shoulder to see that the fire fighters were climbing into their engines and preparing to depart. For a moment she wondered how long she had been standing over here in her own little world. The brothers followed her gaze as the engines pulled out of the boarding house and sped off into the night. Once they were gone they all felt the same sensation of being able to speak freely again.

'So', Damon began sardonically, 'Any thoughts?'

'Who were those people?' Elena asked quickly, the question suddenly burning towards the front of her mind.

'That's the question', Damon shrugged sarcastically. 'Whoever they were I think it's clear that we need to get a new human's name on the house deed pronto'. Stefan was shaking his head.

'Who could have sent them? Klaus?'

'We don't even know that Klaus is really still alive', Damon countered, 'Our information on that is sketchy at best.'

'You don't trust me?' Elena started angrily, rounding on Damon.

'No', Damon cut in, 'I don't trust Katherine. I'd never believe anything she said until I saw it with my own eyes ... and even then ...' he trailed off. Elena was appeased and felt a little bad about jumping on him. She suddenly felt her eyes drawn to the bloody tear in his sleeve that flapped in the slight breeze, the arm beneath already healed.

'Sorry', she mumbled, 'But they certainly knew who I was. They called me the doppelganger.' Stefan and Damon exchanged a worried look. But finally it was Stefan who spoke.

'We just don't know enough about the doppelgangers. We _must_ find someone who does. And we can't wait any longer.' He looked at Elena and once again his arm was around her. 'You're getting worse by the day and we can't risk another attack like that.' Elena nodded, still not completely sure where he was headed. Damon, on the other hand seemed to be two steps ahead of him.

'Finally some sense!' he exclaimed. 'Excellent. Be ready in ten minutes', he demanded, pointing at his brother as he began edging backwards across the grass. 'I'm going to check that the blood store in the basement survived. You're going to need your strength Elena', he finished wickedly. 'I hope you like barbecue flavour', he called over his shoulder as he turned to face the house and quickly disappeared inside. Suddenly Elena realise that she had never looked at what he had tossed into her arms a few moments earlier. She looked down at the heap of material in her hands and held it out in front of her. It was a pair of sweat pants. She felt a little lump in her throat as she realised that she hadn't had a chance to say thank you. Then his words swam to the front of her mind again.

'Ready?' she asked turning to Stefan with eyes full of confusion, 'Ready for what?' Stefan looked at her with infinite patience.

'To get some answers on this doppelganger link', he explained. 'It's time to find Katherine.' Elena reeled for a minute even though the answer was not unexpected.

'You mean in San Francisco?' she whispered. Stefan nodded.

'And I don't think there's any chance of us getting you on a plane. Your blood lust is so ... unpredictable.' Elena felt a little hurt even though she knew that he was right.

'But that means ... oh no' she trailed off as the reality settled up on her. Stefan nodded gravely.

' Yes. Road trip.'

'Oh good', Elena sighed, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. 'They always work out so well.'


	17. Chapter 17

**Eyes of the Doppelganger – Chapter 17**

**I don't own anything. This is just for fun.**

Elena's head bumped rhythmically against the car window as they sped along the deserted highway. She frowned as she adjusted her position and peeked through the window to see the darkness change to grey as the first light of dawn began to illuminate the horizon. She quickly squeezed her eyes shut again, remembering suddenly that she was supposed to be asleep. She didn't want to face the two vampires in the front seat and, although it was cowardly, she could think of no better escape while trapped inside a car than feigning sleep.

Damon had been serious when he had said ten minutes. Elena barely had time to take in what was happening before he had returned with a cooler loaded with blood and she had been bundled into the car. They were already half way out of town before she finally emerged from the shock into which the fire had forced her and rational thought returned. Then some demands of her own burned resolutely into her mind: the first of which being to stop at her house so that they could all shower and change. The brothers had given little thought to dashing off into the night, blackened with smoke and wearing charred rags, however, Elena had correctly pointed out that it would be slightly difficult to explain their dishevelled and, quite frankly, suspicious appearance if they were to come into contact with anybody on the road.

So they had acquiesced and taken her back, back to the Gilbert household where she had lived all her human life. As she had walked in the front door of the house that had, until so recently, been the only home that she had ever known, she felt a tremor run down her spine. She had never set foot over the threshold since she had become a vampire and everything felt eerily wrong here now. She was overcome with the feeling that she was intruding on someone else's life and she knew that this was a place where she no longer belonged. She went up the stairs like a ghost and when she reached her bedroom it was like entering a mausoleum. All her things were still there, every item a little, well-loved scrap of her personality. Swallowing hard she had to avert her eyes for a moment to dispel the crashing wave of nostalgia and regret that swamped her. She reached mechanically into the closet to retrieve a bag and stuffed some clothes into it, not even looking at what she had picked. As she turned to lift a towel from the shelf, she caught sight of her parents' photograph at her bedside, frozen grins beaming at her. Feeling empty and weightless, she lifted the picture and slowly sat down on the bed. She looked around the room, noting every stuffed animal, poster, gift from her friends and they all seemed so removed from her now. A sudden thought bubbled to the front of her mind and she gently opened the drawer next to the bed. She looked down at her diary, sitting patiently, waiting for her, a pen tucked invitingly into the cover. She lifted it and leafed through the pages that were filled with her close, neat handwriting.

This was a life she had realised: family and friends, things to root yourself against, held together with love and loyalty. This was _her_ life. And now it was over. Her time in this house had been brought to a sad and early close when she had drowned in that car, just like her parents before her. Now everything was different, everything was new. She didn't know if she would ever receive the peace that she hoped had greeted her parents, but she could start afresh. She would make sure that she never forget what she had once had and who she had once been. She would make sure that she carried that in her heart forever she decided, her grip tightening on the diary, but now she was more acutely aware than ever that she was irrevocably changed. She knew that she had to start all over again from the beginning, putting together a new life that would knit itself together in the way that her old one had. Only this time she could choose how it began. She could choose who she wanted to be ... and who she wanted to be with. Her stomach felt like lead as she realised that whatever decision she made now, she would have to abide by for eternity. The weight of responsibility was heavy on her and it was tempting to lie down on the bed, pull the pillows over her head and slip into blissful oblivion, but she couldn't. The thought of lying in her old bed was akin to disturbing a tomb. So instead she had shaken her head to dispel her melancholy and tried to concentrate on the task in hand. Focussing on their current goal of finding Katherine was a merciful distraction and she had briskly tucked the diary and photograph into her bag before determinedly grabbing the towel and heading for the shower.

Their stop at the Gilbert house had taken no more than two hours before they were in a fit state to face the outside world again. Damon had then suggested that Elena should feed to keep her cravings as tamed as possible and to keep her strength up. So she had taken a glass from a blood bag into which Damon had squeezed a few drops from his wrist. He held her eyes for a long time as the scarlet rivulets splashed into the glass and she had felt her stomach twist at the memory of his blood flooding her mouth and igniting that uncontrollable fire within her. When he handed her the concoction, his fingers decidedly brushed against her own and she had felt herself stifle a gasp as a wave of arousal rippled through her. Even remembering that moment now, with the car vibrating steadily beneath her, made her ache with longing. Unfortunately, drinking from the glass was not the same as gulping directly from Damon's veins and she felt somewhat deflated when she downed the blood and received only a faint tingling sensation. However, despite her disappointment she had to admit that she felt stronger, more alert and in control of herself so some of its effect must have been retained.

Again, Elena twisted in the car, feeling hot and needy as the memories swirled deliciously around her mind. She had to remind herself desperately to keep up the charade of being asleep as she fidgeted. She gave a somnolent moan and lay down flat on the back seat, deciding that it would be easier to keep up the pretence this way. She knew that pretending to be asleep was a cowardly and pathetic way to avoid the mess that she was in but the atmosphere in the car had been so thick that she had not been able to bear the loaded looks and terse silence. She allowed herself to steal a surreptitious glance towards the front of the car, hoping that neither brother would notice her eyes darting open for a split second. Damon was driving and Stefan was gazing sullenly out of the window, not seeming to take any notice of her while she supposedly slumbered in the back. She felt guilty all over again, knowing that all of this was mostly down to the second demand that she had made last night.

Once they had left the house she had insisted on stopping at the hospital and checking in on Matt and Jeremy before they left. Stefan and Damon had both argued that they didn't want to waste any more time but Elena had brooked no refusal. In a deep, dark part of her mind, she wanted to see them one last time – just in case anything went wrong on this trip. So they had complied as she knew they finally would and she had soon been transported to her brother's bedside. To her relief he seemed to be in good spirits, sitting up in bed and smiling as he talked to the nurses. His face darkened slightly when they entered the room but she could tell that he was still pleased to see her. She had expected him to object to their plans, to try to make her stay but all he had done was nod sagely and agree that they needed to help Elena any way they could. Then she sat on the edge of his bed and he assured her that while she was gone he would do his best to talk to Bonnie and seek her help with Matt. Elena felt vaguely depressed as she was reminded of how many problems they actually faced but she forced a smile for him and made him promise over and over again that he would be careful.

She had also lingered for a long time at Matt's window and, after a moment of staring at his unconscious form, he had slowly appeared beside her.

'You just concentrate on getting well', Matt told her quietly. 'Don't worry about this', he gestured vaguely between them. She turned to him with a smile.

'You know I can't do that', she told him plainly. He looked at himself in the bed.

'I know. But I wish you would. It's all my fault that you're a ... ' he stopped short as he turned back and caught her eyes. 'That this happened', he finished. Elena leaned on her side against the window. Her attention was now entirely on the figure that stood before only her and not the body that lay beyond the window, trapped in an artificial life.

'I don't ever want to hear you say that again', she told him sincerely. 'This is not an argument that I am going to have a million times with you Matt Donovan. There are lots of other things I will', she tried a smile, 'But not this. Got it?' Matt finally returned her smile and nodded. They both returned their attention to the mournful beeps that were emanating from the overbearing machines by his bedside.

'Do you think you could follow us?' Elena asked presently, 'I mean ... if I were to think about you?'

'I think so', Matt replied. 'I managed to do it when you were in the boarding house. One minute I was here then when you thought about me it was like a tug and I was able to come to you right away. I don't think distance is really an issue', he finished and deep down Elena was sure that he was right. When he stood beside her she almost fancied that she could feel the link, a little, phantom jerk in the small of her back, like a fish on a line.

Suddenly, however, the quiet moment that had lulled Elena into a sense of comfort was shattered as Damon's voice echoed down the corridor.

'Elena! Clock's ticking, come on!' he urged her agitatedly then he disappeared back around the corner. Elena smiled weakly at Matt.

'No rest for the wicked', she shook her head ruefully. Matt followed her gaze up the corridor.

'How's that going?' he asked, a note of friendly banter returning to his voice. Only when she heard it did she realise how much she had missed it.

'Matt don't start', she warned, although she couldn't help but be amused.

'No really, who's winning?' he asked. 'Damon was ahead by a nose the last time I checked.' A giggle bubbled up in Elena.

'Maybe', she replied. 'But Stefan is trying so hard it breaks my heart. He always does the right thing.'

'Does he?' asked Matt, 'Or does he just always do what he thinks you want?' Elena turned to him sharply.

'What do you mean?' she asked slowly.

'I just mean does Stefan always do the right thing or is he so afraid of doing something that you won't like that he kowtows blindly to everything you ask.'

'Kowtows?' Elena echoed, offended.

'You know what I mean Elena', Matt sighed. 'Stefan saved me instead of you –even though I'm sure he would much rather hear your heartbeat than mine - because he knew you would hate him if he didn't. Even though he always tries to do the decent thing, it seems like he'd rather tell you what you want to hear than what he really thinks.'

'And Damon always says what he thinks?' she breathed, her head beginning to spin. She really didn't need Matt to confuse her any more than she already was.

'At least he's honest', Matt shrugged. 'You know where you stand then, you can work your problems out. Where's the interest in someone when you know he is _always_ going to agree with you. You'd think in a century and a half Stefan would have learned that', he said regretfully. Then he paused, indecision painted across his pale face. 'I learned it in two years', he finally finished. At once Elena felt her heart freeze. She had never thought about it that way before but now that Matt had said it out loud she knew that he was right. She was following exactly the same doomed path with Stefan as she had with Matt. They had both been sweet to her, technically done nothing wrong, but in each case she had become restless and the longer she tried to make it work the more she yearned to be free. He was right, they were so eager to please her, give her everything she thought she wanted that in the end it was tantamount to a lie. They didn't trust her enough to be themselves. She remembered only too well the way she tried everything to avoid Matt touching her towards the end and it had been echoed ominously in the way she had felt her body pull away from Stefan of its own accord outside the boarding house earlier. 'Towards the end' she thought, her whole body numb with shock. She had never thought to lay her relationships with Matt and Stefan parallel before but, now that she did, the similarities were undeniable.

No matter what accusations could be levelled against Damon, he was certainly never guilty of masking his true feelings and he never shied away from an argument. He would never deliberately hurt her of course but, if he felt passionately about something, he couldn't hide it. He would help her face unpleasantness head on, not sugar coat it and she always emerged tougher for it. She knew that she was already a stronger person because of him and he constantly drove her to learn new things about herself, it was one of the things that drew her to him so strongly. Yes he might always act like he knew best, she thought with a hint of a smile, but he had been around a long time and sometimes, maybe just sometimes, he did have some wisdom to impart. Perhaps she needed to be told some hard truths at times and it wouldn't hurt her to take some advice now and then instead of constantly having her boyfriends fold like a house of cards around her. She knew she could always count on Damon for that.

She turned to Matt, her face still stunned by this sudden realisation but before she could say anything, she heard her name again and whipped her head around. Caroline was bounding down the hall towards her, unaware of Matt's presence.

'Caroline!' Elena exclaimed, all other thoughts skittering from her head. She didn't even notice as Matt's presence wavered and faded away. Her body stayed stiff with surprise as her friend threw her arms around her. 'Where have you been?' Elena stammered.

'My mom picked up what had happened and let me know, so I came straight here', Caroline explained, pulling back to look at Elena. 'Are you ok? Is everyone ok?' Elena studied Caroline carefully. She was excitable and wind swept, she must have run some distance to the hospital, further than Elena would have expected, but there was more than that. There was a strange animation in her face, her eyes had a light in them that Elena hadn't seen since before Tyler died.

'Yes', Elena, finally replied, snapping back to reality. 'We're all fine.'

'Thank goodness', Caroline exhaled and leaned heavily against the wall beside them. Elena narrowed her eyes slightly.

'What about you though?' she asked suspiciously, 'Are you okay? Something's going on with you, I know it is', she pressed, folding her arms across her chest. Caroline immediately straightened up, becoming visibly nervous.

'Me?' I don't know what you mean', she stuttered, struggling not to make eye contact with her friend. Elena advanced on her, her stance a mixture of concern and menace.

'Yes you do', she continued, 'Disappearing in the middle of things today, secret phone calls and wherever you ran here from tonight it wasn't your house', she accused her boldly, then her shoulders sagged as she saw how uncomfortable Caroline was getting. She sighed, 'Caroline I'm worried about you. Please, what's going on?' Caroline looked up but her eyes seemed terrified now, her mouth opened but she seemed unable to form a sentence.

'ELENA!' came another shout and both girls jumped to find Damon rushing down the corridor towards them. 'Elena there is no time', he scolded her, 'What if those people follow us here? We have to get out of here now!' Elena frowned but had no argument to give. She shook her head angrily.

'All right Caroline', she snapped exasperatedly. 'We need to get out of here. We have to find Katherine in San Francisco. Just promise me one thing', she asked pointedly. Caroline nodded, still struck dumb.

'Keep an eye on Jeremy. Make sure nobody hurts him.' Caroline nodded again and Elena felt the aggravation leave her voice. 'Please, Caroline', she finished pleadingly. Caroline grabbed her hand.

'I promise', she swore. Then the lifelong friendship between the girls took charge and they fell into each other's arms, hugging fiercely. At once Elena heard Damon's tongue clicking impatiently and she stepped back.

'Come on, you know I hate to break up a little girl on girl, but we have to move – now', Damon repeated urgently, his voice rising as he spoke.

'Okay', Elena nodded and held onto Caroline's hand for a moment longer as Damon grabbed her other one and began to drag her along the corridor. Her pride railed and even though she instantly regretted the loss of his cool fingers laced through hers, she snatched her hand back. She saw his jaw tighten but he didn't say anything and they remained in silence as she followed him out to the parking lot.

Stefan was waiting, leaning on the car and he stood forward as soon as they approached.

'Okay', Damon barked gruffly. 'Suppose we'd better get this show on the road.' Stefan nodded.

'You ready now?' he asked Elena, indulgently.

'No time like the present', she replied but her voice was sharper than she had intended. Matt's words were still fresh in her mind and instantly connected with the tone in Stefan's voice. She remembered it so well, the way Matt had always spoken to her. Like he knew how tenuous his hold on her was and how desperate he was to placate her. That's what Stefan was doing. He had done it before in the boarding house when he asked her to delay her decision and he was doing it now. He was desperate and trying to cling on as best he could. Elena was at once simultaneously sympathetic and irritated. Stefan, emboldened by his success following the fire no doubt, took advantage of her slight distraction to slip an arm around her shoulders and give her a squeeze.

'Everything will be fine', he promised. His sudden touch surprised her and it shot a mixture of guilt, revulsion and regret through her body. She found her face instantly turning towards Damon's desperate to explain herself, tell him that she didn't want this but all she saw was a narrowing of his eyes as his jaw clenched.

'Perfect. One big happy family', he spat, already backing away. 'I'll drive', he finished contemptuously as he strode to the opposite side of the car and got in. Immediately Elena pulled away from Stefan and looked at him with accusing eyes.

'Why did you do that?' she demanded. He backed away, startled.

'Do what?' he exclaimed.

'You know ...' she trailed off, repeating his gesture with her own arm, unable to put her feelings into words. Stefan's features hardened immediately.

'What? Touch you?' he clarified coldly.

'Yes! You know you're only trying to make him angry', she hissed, not wanting Damon to hear them argue. Stefan's face was undeniably furious but, at the centre, his eyes were scared and guilty.

'I wasn't thinking about him', he growled in measured tones. 'I was thinking about you.' Elena shook her head, frustration causing her to have difficulty framing her objections.

'Stefan, you just can't act like everything is ... the way it was', she ran a hand through her hair exasperatedly. His eyes widened as if he was slowly beginning to understand something.

'Because _everything's_ changed', he exhaled meaningfully. Elena felt her heart swell with pity but it was a catch twenty two. Trying to comfort him would negate the point she was trying to make but to not comfort him seemed so cold. In the end he took the decision out of her hands. 'Let's just go', he groaned, opening the door of the car for her, then he looked resolutely at the ground until she climbed in.

A great start to a two day drive Elena grimaced to herself, burying her face into the leather of the seat so that she didn't have to keep her eyes closed while she faked sleep. Two angry vampires and a spineless one trying to hide from her problems in the back. No wonder the air was dense with resentment.

'We should take a break soon', Stefan's voice suddenly reached her. Elena's ears pricked up immediately. It was a blessed relief after five hours of riding in complete silence. 'I need to hunt, best now before the sun's fully up.'

'She still asleep?' Damon asked, his voice flat and unreadable. She heard Stefan move, clearly turning to check on her, then he replied.

'Yes. Don't wake her. She needs her strength and it was a long night.' His voice had a sharp edge that Elena had only heard a few times.

'It's going to be a longer day', Damon retorted, still no emotion showing. She heard Stefan sigh.

'Well, at least she got what she wanted', he mused wearily.

'As always', Damon countered and Elena rolled her eyes. Stefan gave a mirthless huff of laughter.

'At least she got to rally the troops, get everything in line before she left', he pointed out. This time it was Damon's turn to laugh but it was a thin and spiteful sound.

'You are such an idiot', he crowed and immediately Elena felt the car begin to slow dramatically before it finally came to an abrupt stop that almost threw her from the seat. She heard him shift, sure that he was turning to face his brother. 'That's not what she was doing', he snarled, his words slow and poisonous. 'She was saying goodbye. She thinks she might not be coming back'. Stefan made no reply and the next sound she heard was the car door opening and closing as quietly as possible. Stefan was gone. She knew that Damon's words would have enraged him but he had been right. That was exactly what she had been doing. How did he always know? Suddenly he spoke again and the sound startled her so much that she practically jumped out of her skin with fright.

'And you're not fooling me back there. I know you're awake', he said in that low, daring tone she loved. She completely froze for a moment trying to decide whether to brazen it out, then very slowly she turned around and looked towards the front of the car. She caught sight of the rear view mirror and was arrested immediately by the reflection of his ice blue eyes piercing into her as he watched her in the glass. She held his gaze in the mirror for a moment and then began to sit up. 'I'd stay down if I were you', Damon advised. 'If my brother thinks for a minute that you're awake and talking to me then he'll be back in the car like a whippet. And he does need to hunt', he admitted, a sad tenderness weaving through his voice. 'It was a long night – as I'm sure you've already heard.' Elena let out a breath of relief. Part of her was glad to stay curled on the back seat. It made her feel a little more secure.

'Where are we?' she asked meekly.

'Rest stop. Somewhere in Kentucky I think.'

'I'm sorry', she whispered, still looking at his face in the rear view mirror but now he had turned to look out of the window. The reflection was of his profile now and she could only wonder at how perfect it was.

'That we're in Kentucky?' he asked wryly but his face was not angry. She thought for a moment and realised that she wasn't quite sure exactly. There were so many things.

'No. It's a blanket apology', she tried in a small voice. 'For everything'. At last she saw a smile tug at the corner of Damon's lips and she suddenly felt a lot better. They stayed in a comfortable silence for a moment then she spoke again.

'Damon?'

'Hm?'

'Thank you for the sweatpants last night.' His head turned and he was gazing into her eyes in the mirror once again, a desperate yearning evident in them. She dropped her eyes away from the intensity of his stare and noticed suddenly that she could see where his hand currently rested between the front seats. Remaining in her current position, she slowly extended her arm and edged her own hand slowly forwards. He jumped slightly when her fingers touched his and for a horrible moment she thought that he might snatch his hand away. He tensed for a moment in indecision then he decidedly thrust his fingers through hers and squeezed gently, his thumb comfortingly stroking the back of her hand. Her heart soared and for the first time for what felt like an age she felt a surge of pure happiness wash through her. They sat for another moment, content to just be joined like this until Damon harshly wrenched his hand back. She got such a shock that she instinctively retracted her own arm and felt her heart crack with disappointment.

However, only a second later the passenger door opened and understanding hit her. He had seen Stefan returning, that was the cause of his sudden reaction. At once she closed her eyes again and felt Stefan's weight jostle the car as he sat down.

'Get something?' Damon asked, his voice unnervingly genial.

'Just rabbits', Stefan replied moodily, 'It'll do for now.'

Damon gave an exaggerated stretch then she heard him flop back in the seat.

'You want to take a turn at the wheel?' he asked,

'Sure, whatever', Stefan replied and then there was a flurry of activity as the brother's switched places. She felt Stefan drop into the driver's seat but when Damon reached the passenger door he opened it and then paused, leaning into the car.

'Oh look!' he suddenly started brightly, 'Elena's awake.' She felt her heart lurch and her eyes flew open as she scrambled up into a sitting position. 'Think I'll sit this spell out in the back. More leg room', he smirked wickedly at his brother, then before Elena knew it he had slid snakelike into the seat beside her and given her his broadest, cheekiest grin. She could only imagine how furious Stefan must be and within a moment her suspicions were confirmed as the car roared to life and they sped away at a dangerous speed.

Once they were moving again the ride got steadily better. Damon seemed to have recovered his usual irrepressible nature after their moment at the rest stop and he was feeling mischievous. He insisted on the radio being turned on and proceeded to banter and argue over music. He even began to tell tales of their old days and Elena suspected that he was deliberately getting some of the details wrong so that Stefan couldn't help but correct him. He managed to be just the right mixture of friendly and antagonistic towards Stefan until he was irresistibly drawn back into the conversation. It was still awkward but a vast improvement on the razor sharp silence from before. Elena marvelled at his ability to read people and the bucketloads of charm that he could deploy when it suited him. She didn't think she had ever seen anybody more charismatic.

For the rest of the day Damon didn't even try to touch her again and she was grateful that he didn't feel the need to retaliate against Stefan's previous actions. This maybe even counted as personal growth for him she thought with a smile. However, she couldn't deny that she felt better with him sitting beside her. She felt safe with his strong presence so close and as time went by she felt herself sometimes subconsciously sliding along the seat to be nearer him. She managed to catch herself every time though and scoot back towards her own side before they touched, reprimanding herself for once again almost making things worse. Still, she was sure that he noticed, she could tell in the occasional suggestive looks that he shot her when he was sure that Stefan's attention was otherwise occupied.

They drove for so long that the day soon passed and the light quickly began to fade around about them.

'Are we stopping somewhere?' Elena asked rolling her head around on her neck to alleviate the stiffness.

'Should really just keep going', Damon replied but she that he too was getting a little crazy from being cooped up in the car. 'Do you need to hunt again?' he asked Stefan, stretching his arms along the back of the seat and coming enticingly close to Elena's shoulder.

'I don't think it would hurt', Stefan agreed. 'I only caught a few rabbits earlier. Maybe we should find a motel. Even if we don't stay all night we could do with a little break from the car.' Elena's eyes glanced furtively sideways at the mention of the word 'motel' and Damon met her look with a raised eyebrow that made her quiver all over.

'Fine', Damon agreed, still looking deliberately at Elena, 'keep your eyes peeled then.'

It didn't take long for them to come across a motel just off the interstate. It was nicer than the place in Denver and spread out on one level just on the edge of a wooded area. Elena felt completely relieved when Stefan pulled the car into a parking spot and she was able to climb out. After some glorious stretching and pacing to invigorate their limbs again they made their way into the front office where an old man sat behind the desk, watching TV and doing his best to ignore them.

'Hi', Damon, slapped the counter briskly, 'Got any vacancies?' The man eyed him distrustfully for a moment and then made no hurry to get to his feet. He padded an interminably slow path across to the desk and started thumping the keys on an old computer. He looked suspiciously from one face to the next.

'And, how many rooms is that you'd be looking for?' he asked, his beady glare making Elena's skin crawl.

'Two', replied Stefan and Elena's nerves immediately began to sing with horror.

'Three', she corrected immediately, staring at Stefan with huge angry eyes.

'Elena', he whispered, trying to turn away from the man's greedy glare. This was even better than the soap that he had been watching. 'I don't think that this is a good time for you to be on your own. What if something happens?' Elena's eyes narrowed.

'So you thought you would stay and look after me?' she hissed furiously. Stefan clearly wanted to argue further but with the creepy receptionist hanging on his every word he didn't want to say too much. Luckily he did not see the smug look that flitted across Damon's face but it did not escape Elena and it made her feel uncomfortably hot all over. Stefan finally turned back to the man, tired and annoyed.

'Do you have three next to each other?' he asked resignedly. The man looked irritated that there had been no further drama and he grumbled to himself as he thumped a few more keys.

'I got 8, 9 and 10, last three out and to the right', he mimed the directions in the air. 'How you gonna be paying for that?'

'I got it', Damon grinned, satisfied, and started reaching into his jacket for his wallet. Elena gave Stefan one last angry glare and marched outside. She waited just outside the door pacing back and forth a little, her whole body restless and annoyed. She was glad that they had stopped. She needed a little space from them both. As oddly companionable as the trip had become, she needed to be by herself for a little. She needed to think.

Suddenly she heard the door behind her and whipped around to see Stefan standing in front of her, his face dark and stormy.

'Stefan, you can't force this', she said plainly and the words surprised her, because it was exactly what she wanted to say and had been struggling to articulate. 'Please stop trying. I need to think things through and I just haven't had a minute to do so. Please, stop pushing.' His anger quickly melted into something else that Elena couldn't quite place. He looked uncertain and afraid, like a child who has just been approached by a stranger. Before they could say anything further though Damon breezed out from the reception with three keys in his hand, effectively ending their conversation.

'Loud and clear', Stefan told her stiffly, causing Damon to look questioningly between them. Stefan reached over and grabbed his key from Damon. 'I'm going to hunt. I'll see you in the morning.' And with that he left them. Damon looked surprised.

'What did you say to him? Never thought he'd leave us alone together', he smirked, his voice filthy. Elena rolled her eyes.

'Damon please, could you just dial it back a little', she chided him, yet somehow it didn't bother her so much when he did it, it was such an intrinsic part of his personality.

'Fine', he conceded good naturedly, swiping her bag from her hand and started walking to the little row of rooms. She watched him go for a moment and then followed him, a smile fighting to spread across her face. When they got to there he stopped at room number 9. 'I suggest you take this one, Stefan's in that one', he gestured to room 10, 'and I'm in 8. One of us on either side of you. If anything happens – anything at all – you call, throw something at the wall, whatever. Just make a noise and one of us will hear you. Right?' Elena nodded looking shyly up at him. Everything seemed to have got very quiet all of a sudden and the air around them seemed to be buzzing slightly. She licked her lips which had gone inexplicably dry.

'I will', she assured him. He cocked his head and looked at her appraisingly for a moment, a hunger in his face that made her skin positively burn with need. Carefully she swallowed down the desire that was steadily growing in her and dropped her eyes to the ground. Damon smiled a little wistfully, stepping back and diffusing some of the tension.

'Good. Here's your key', he lifted it in front of her, then he very slowly and deliberately reached over and dropped it into the breast pocket on her shirt. He hadn't touched her once but her knees almost buckled with his closeness. And she knew that he was completely aware of it. When she looked back up at him reproachfully he gave her such a sensual grin that her rebuke caught in her throat. 'Pleasant dreams Elena', he whispered and in a flash he had disappeared into his room. For a moment she remained rooted to the spot trying to compose herself, then she slowly guessed that he would be standing behind the door to his room listening, thoroughly amused by her. This jolted her into action and she scurried quickly into room 9, locking the door behind her.

She flopped onto the bed, physically and mentally exhausted. Her mind was racing so quickly that she didn't know where to begin. Slowly she rose up to her knees and placed her hand against the wall, knowing that Damon was just on the other side. Then she looked helplessly across the room to the opposite wall that separated her from Stefan. A brother on either side and as always she was caught in the middle. She closed her eyes, her head threatening to explode and she collapsed back onto the bed in despair.


	18. Chapter 18

**Eyes of the Doppelganger – Chapter 18**

**Oh lovely reviewers you really make my day. It means a lot that you take the time to let me know your thoughts. Thank you. How are we finding season 4 incidentally? Personally, I felt the start was a little bit shaky but the second one really hit its stride. Anyway, this chapter might be a bit ponderous but I promise the next one will be all Damon and Elena.**

**I don't own anything. This is just for fun.**

The last rays of sunlight quickly faded away and Elena remained on the stiff motel bed in the darkness. She lay on her back facing the ceiling and had not so much as moved to switch on a light. The dark held absolutely no fear for her any more. She had always been just a tiny but afraid of the dark, but since her transition it had not bothered her in the slightest. It felt so natural now. She had hoped that she would fall asleep as time wore on but her eyes seemed to be glued open and, although her head swirled, nothing made any sense. Her thoughts were incoherent and panicky and she could not form them into any kind of rational argument. She was also aware that the longer she lay in this useless stupor, the achier her limbs became. Before long the familiar thud of a headache was starting to beat at the base of her skull.

She should have fed, she thought ruefully. She had taken a sip from a bloodbag, under Damon's watchful eye, in the car, not long before they had stopped. She had squeezed herself into the corner of the car seat, as far away from Damon as possible, because once the euphoria of the blood hit her, she didn't know what his knowing smirk would do to her in such a confined space. She couldn't deny that all sorts of fantasies had danced through her head once she had punctured the bag and felt the glorious satisfaction roaring through her body but she had managed to restrain herself admirably. Still, she should have thought to take one last nip before she turned in for the night. Now that the thought had occurred to her, the gnawing of her thirst seemed to grow and the persistent ache throughout her body seemed worse. Soon it was all that she could think about and the back of her throat began to feel scorched.

Eventually she could not take the nagging craving any longer and she hauled herself laboriously into a sitting position. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her heavy eyes before she got up and began to prowl the room like a caged animal. She restlessly fiddled with the TV controls and light switches and checked in all the drawers and closets but none of them distracted her for long. The room was beginning to feel like a prison cell and she desperately needed an escape. After exhausting every other diversion in the room, she idly began to dig through her bag, which she had unceremoniously kicked onto the floor at the foot of the bed. Suddenly she came across her diary, safely stowed among her clothes. She pulled it out and, after a brief hesitation, she opened it and began to read.

She had never gone back and read her diary before and it felt oddly invasive revisiting the thoughts of her younger self. She had started keeping it just after her parents had died and the early pages reminded her uncomfortably of that raw, painful time. She remembered how she had thought that she would never survive, but writing her feelings down had always helped. It had been the liberation that she needed. Then came Stefan, pages of entries chronicling their first meeting and blossoming relationship. The words on the page were so carefree and endearingly sheltered, the intimate details of a typically adolescent crush, life-threateningly important in the way that things can only be to a teenager. She wondered how she could ever have been so young and it brought a sad smile to her face. The first mention of Damon came on the night that he had brought Caroline to her house for dinner. She had noted how uncomfortable he made her feel and a laugh escaped her. She had also detailed the very vivid dreams that had plagued her following that night, hot dreams where Damon always appeared from nowhere causing her to wake up in sweaty, tangled sheets. At that point she had not even known about the large and horrifying world that was right on her doorstep, yet completely invisible to her.

The entries had grown sparser after that, since her life had suddenly become such a whirlwind of danger and lethal deadlines, but Damon's name appeared more often. She talked about him more and more; abjuring him, cursing him, pitying him and then finally wanting him, needing him to be there to help her through each day. It was clear from the pages that he had grown into such a huge part of her life. She re read the paragraphs from the night that Damon had lain dying, a werewolf bite's poison slowly coursing through his body. She remembered writing them while he lay serene in a healing sleep after he had taken the cure that Katherine had brought. Elena had been settled against his pillows with her legs tucked underneath her, somehow completely unwilling to leave his side while he lay peacefully next to her. She remembered Katherine's parting shot_. It's okay to love them both_. Another lie, Elena now thought wryly, but that statement had haunted her that night and the words in her diary had clearly been scribbled by an emotional hand. The edges of the page were crisp and stained with tears. That night burned its way back into her memory and she remembered the heart stopping fear that had pumped through her veins the whole evening. Even after she knew that Damon was safe, the dread had taken hours to dissipate completely. Every now and again she had stopped writing and reached over to very gently stroke his hair, just to reassure herself that he was all right. She had never told him that, she wondered if he had felt it. Maybe that was when she had first realised that a world without Damon was not a place that she wanted to be.

A warmth glowed in her belly as she thought about Damon lying on the other side of the wall, maybe watching TV, maybe sleeping. Most likely he was lying in the dark listening for any tiny sound that might emanate from her room, ready to leap into action if necessary. She knew that she could go next door and ask him for some blood from the cooler but she hesitated. The idea was darkly appealing but she knew that she would be falling directly into a world of temptation that could only confuse things further right now. There was a twinge of disappointment as she resolved to exercise some will power and let sleeping dogs lie for now. She fondly hugged her diary to her chest and then returned it reverently to her bag. The distraction had been hugely helpful and she felt more in control now. She strayed thoughtfully to the window and looked out across the parking lot. It was late now and even though she could still hear the cars on the nearby road, not a soul moved around the deserted motel or gas station forecourt. The trees beyond the asphalt loomed black and tall but Elena found that they reminded her of home and they were actually rather reassuring.

All at once she felt the overwhelming need to get out of this room. She bit her lip guiltily as she knew that neither Damon nor Stefan would be happy with the idea but she just needed to feel the air on her face and smell the clear night air. She wouldn't go far she promised herself. She would be very careful, just take a quick walk and not even leave the sight of the motel. Eagerly she opened the door as quietly as possible and then closed it again as softly as a whisper. She decided to walk past Stefan's room because there was always a chance that he was still out hunting while she was sure that Damon would catch her sneaking past his window in a second.

She skirted the edge of the parking lot, walking slowly on her tired legs and headed back around towards the gas station, glad to be outside. The road was still deserted and when she came to a little picnic stop just on the edge of the tree line she gratefully sat down and turned her head upwards to face the moon. She remained that way, in contented solitude until all of a sudden she heard the hum of an engine. Her eyes flew open and sure enough, a strong pair of headlamps were turning into the motel and were about to alight directly on her. By the time the picnic table was illuminated, however, she was already gone. She flew at vampire speed across the concrete and flattened herself against the wall next to some dumpsters. She was out of sight, but she could peek through the gap between the huge waste bins and see the car come to a stop at the gas station. She had no problem seeing through the dim light that there were a man and a woman in the front and at least two children sleeping in the seat behind. The adults got out of the car, stretching weary limbs and bickering familiarly about directions and the lateness of the hour before they headed into the building.

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. Just a family. A normal family, on a normal vacation she thought with a pang of jealousy. She straightened up behind the dumpsters and looked again at the sleeping children in the back of the car. Her heart ached a little as their peaceful little faces continued their innocent slumber. A surge of tenderness waved over her as she hoped fervently that their eyes would never be violently opened to the horrors that she now knew were all throughout the world. She started to move away from the dumpsters but instead of moving back to her room as she intended, she found herself moving towards the car, her feet taking slow, deliberate steps that she couldn't seem to control. The emotion that had welled up in her was getting stronger, overpowering and it crept slowly up her body making her feel worryingly reckless. Those feelings were churning and mutating into something completely different, something profoundly bad that made Elena sick with worry. Then the smell reached her, suddenly focussing all this burgeoning sensation to the back of her throat like a lightning rod. Her thirst flared viciously to life and all of a sudden she understood. The smell. It was blood, purer and more glorious than she had ever smelled before, pumping at a delicate, tiny rhythm like a bird's. It was the children.

'No, no, no, no!' she hissed under her breath as she continued stalk towards the car, her treacherous feet not making a sound. When she had made the decision to leave her room she had only worried about danger to herself, the possibility of more attackers or a sudden, weakening vision. She had never for a moment thought that she would pose a danger to anyone else, she had been working so hard on her control. But the young, pure blood was calling to her, bewitching her into a blind thirst that she simply had to satisfy. She tried to tell herself to turn and run, run anywhere but towards the car in front of her but the grisly desire quickly eclipsed her horror and the craving pounded through, driving her on.

She approached the car like a phantom, her fangs spitting forward and her eyes turning a deadly red. She laid a cold hand silently on the glass of the window and looked inside, a crazed smile splitting her face. She had been right, there were two children, a girl and a boy. The boy looked around eight years old with a thick crop of dark, black hair. His head lolled sideways in sleep and would have been exposing the flutter of life in his throat directly to Elena if his younger sister's hadn't been slumped on his shoulder, her sandy curls spilling over his neck. They slept together like angels, the little girl's arm strewn lazily across her brother's lap, reaching for a toy car which he still held, clutched tightly in his hand. Elena's thirst reached a sizzling peak and she drew back her fist to break the glass. The little boy's eyes flew open all of a sudden, the abrupt sense of wrongness making him alert and he snapped his head towards the window. But there was nothing there. Only a deserted parking lot and the distant lights of the road.

Elena was flying through the air, a pair of strong arms had grabbed her just in time, just before her fist connected with the glass. She was carried at a dizzying speed beyond the corner of the building and out of sight of the car. They slowed once they were out of sight of the car and she twisted in the iron grip to see Stefan, his own fangs glinting in the moonlight and his face red and furious. He was still bearing down on her, driving her further and further back. Like this he was truly frightening but it only served of ignite a spark of defiance within her and she growled back at him, lunging towards him in an attempt to return to the car.

Then suddenly everything stopped. The blistering rage, the burst of propulsion as she leapt, even the cool night air had suddenly evaporated from her skin. All that was left was Stefan's face, still in front of her, his arms gently around her, pulling her into an embrace. The unexpected stillness hit her like a brick wall and left her dazed, like a psychological whiplash. She looked up into Stefan's soft, loving eyes and was filled with dread as she realised that she had entered yet another memory.

Katherine's consciousness giggled around her, the triumph glowing in her inner voice was unmistakable. It gave Elena the nauseating sensation that her doppelganger had just played a very successful move and that was rarely good for anyone except Katherine. She pulled slightly back from Stefan, although never leaving the close circle of his arms, and smiled. Now Elena could see her surroundings. It was her living room, the living room of her own house. Her thoughts went cold as she wondered why Stefan was hugging Katherine in the living room where she had spent her childhood, then she slowly realised that the clothes that clung to this borrowed body were horribly familiar. They were hers. Anger festered in Elena as she realised that once again Katherine was masquerading as her, then her rage grew deeper as she remembered when she had last worn this outfit. This was the first night that Katherine had come back, when she had first begun causing chaos in Elena's life.

Katherine raised her head, softly inclining it towards Stefan when all of a sudden his hand tightened viciously in her hair, sending a jolt of shock through both her and Elena. Suddenly he wrenched her head back and his face transformed into the same terrifying mask that Elena had just seen at the motel, eyes flaming and fangs bared. He gave a furious hiss and then a savage thrust of his arm sent Katherine flying through the air to the other side of the couch. In a split second she was on her feet and staring smugly back at him, everything in her mind set to defence.

'Katherine', Stefan breathed, spitting her name out like poison, contempt burning in his eyes. A slight smile flickered at the corner of Katherine's mouth.

'Least I fooled one of you', she smirked, but her mind was in turmoil now. Elena was finding it difficult to pick a single emotion out of the churning pool of Katherine's consciousness. Everything was moving so fast, but she was sure that she detected a streak of panic. Suddenly, Elena felt a jolt of shock as Stefan lunged towards her at vampire speed. Katherine tensed as if she was about to make her escape but something caught Elena's attention. A taut anticipation buzzed through her and suddenly her movements seemed to slow. Elena knew that Katherine could move like lightning but this felt almost sluggish to her vampire senses. Only when a thrill of mischief licked at her mind did she fully understand. Katherine wanted Stefan to catch her. The games never ended.

Sure enough, Stefan thundered into her and, as one, they crashed into the wall, his hand closing around her neck and his weight settling upon her. Elena felt sick and trapped but in Katherine's mind all she could feel was an excited curiosity as she searched his livid, violent eyes. Elena could sense that Katherine felt almost hopeful, but the longer she looked, the more she realised that her search was fruitless. Elena shivered under his flaming glare, which burned with the most undiluted hatred that she had ever seen. Katherine's thoughts slowly circled in on themselves, no longer a swirling mass but a tight, knot of curious disappointment. She hesitated, uncertain of her next move, but her mind quickly flared back into the devilish manipulation that Elena was used to. Katherine met Stefan's glare head on.

'Feel better?' she gasped sarcastically as Stefan's grip on her throat tightened.

Then all of a sudden the sound of a car door, snatched Elena's attention away and she could once more feel hard brick biting into her back and cold night air nipping at her skin. For a moment she was confused as Stefan's whole weight was still forced against her, flattening her against the building. She couldn't see his face as he was leaning over her shoulder, his head pressed to the wall, but her eyes immediately found the sound that had just plucked her from the viper's nest of Katherine's mind and everything made sense. The couple she had been watching from behind the dumpster earlier had just returned to their car and it now the engine was roaring to life. When it began to pull out of the gas station her stomach lurched as the sweet smell of innocent blood receded and called for her to follow like a siren. As if she were an animal, she tried to lunge forward out of Stefan's arms but he slammed her back against the wall, an arm rising violently to slam across her throat and keep her still.

She thrashed against him for a few moments longer until the smell released its maddening hold on her and she felt all strength leave her body. Shaking and desperately thirsty her knees buckled and she went limp in Stefan's arms. Immediately he drew back and staggered backwards a few paces. Without his support she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, her knees pulled tightly against her chest. Her chest still heaved from the exertion and Stefan's choking hold but slowly she began to drag herself back together. Stefan's face had returned to normal but he looked oddly emotionless, his eyes dull with fatigue.

'I'm sorry', he finally stammered. 'We should have warned you. Children are ... well, children are harder', he attempted to explain. Elena shook her head, desperately trying to not let the reality of what she had almost done settle upon her. The horror of it was so chilling that she couldn't even bear to let the thought enter her head.

'It's ok', she managed to gasp between erratic breaths. They look at each other in silence for a long moment and Elena began to rub her neck. She could still feel his arm pressing mercilessly into her throat. Finally some of the guilt that she was now so used to seeing began to creep back into his eyes.

'Are you all right?' he asked, moving forward to crouch in front of her. Without a thought, her hand sprang up of its own accord warning him to keep his distance. She needed space, she needed to process what had just happened and she needed to get rid of the dreadful aching thirst that was pounding through her entire body. Stefan dropped to his knees at her feet, an acceptable distance away. At last she felt her panic calm to a manageable level and she leaned her head back against the wall, eyes closed.

'Did you need to be so rough?' she asked, her delicate hand, white in the moonlight, still gently massaging her neck. The motion reminded her of her latest vision and a shudder went through her. He had been so angry, so frightening. He had professed his love for Katherine so many times, a love so deep that it had driven a wedge between him and the older brother that he had once idolised. She had seen none of that in his eyes. All she had seen was utter loathing. That vision had showed the first time that she had reappeared to them and he had not spared so much as a second for an explanation or an excuse. He hadn't even asked for a reason as to why she had disappeared all those years ago, all he had wanted was revenge. She remembered the first of Katherine's memories that she had uncovered in the boarding house with perfect clarity, the love and pain in Damon's face when Katherine had toyed with him so cruelly. Every heartbroken plea that was etched across his face had been as fresh as the day that Katherine had been carried off to the tomb. His love had burned brightly for 145 years and had only been quenched when the depth of her deception had finally been brought to light. A real love, not a childish infatuation. She opened her eyes and watched Stefan looking at the ground. What did love even mean to him? He had readily forgotten Katherine, what would a few centuries do to his feelings for her?

'I'm sorry. I couldn't ... I couldn't help it. Normally I can control it but when I see you so wild and out of control ... it sets something off in me and the cravings just get so much stronger', he finally admitted shamefully. Her mind reeled as she realised why he had been so ferocious. He really _couldn't_ help it. He was fighting his own darkest desires as much as she was fighting her own. She remembered her earlier episodes, when she had first been lost in a fog of bloodlust and Damon had come to her aid. Yes, he had been strong and physical, but no more than was needed to restrain her. Where Stefan had leapt at her blindly in a desperate attack, Damon had been in control of himself and only by being completely in control of his own cravings was he was able to give her the help that she needed so badly. She looked sadly at Stefan and remembered the fiery eyed monster that had been bearing down on her only moments earlier and she realised that he would never truly be able to help her until he finally took his brother's advice and addressed his own needs.

Sitting on the cold ground with Stefan, the night thick around them, she started to feel like everything that she had clung to for so long was falling apart around her. She had been pushing her indecision to the side for so long now, afraid of the conclusions that she would come to, but now her doubts refused to be confined any longer. Along with these doubts came the unavoidable guilt. How could she reject him when she knew that he wanted so badly to be good, to prove that just because he was a vampire didn't mean that he was a monster? She was glad that he had stopped her from committing an act so utterly unspeakable but was helping her just another way to assist in his own attempts to conquer his insatiable thirst? There was the animal blood, the efforts to rehabilitate other vampires and help new ones like Caroline and now the casting of himself as her saviour for these last few years. Was she just a foothold in his own quest for redemption?

She heart cracked with despair and part of her knew that this adolescent idealism was not sustainable. Perhaps it was because he had never aged beyond seventeen that this teenage optimism would always be in Stefan, but most people eventually grew up and stopped torturing themselves with unattainable ideals. They learned what things were truly important and found their stability and happiness there instead of trying to adhere slavishly to unrealistic standards. Stefan's refusal to adapt to drinking human blood was just another elusive dream that would never be practical and, if he persisted in chasing it, Elena realised that he would always be torturing himself. A lump swelled in her throat as she wondered if Stefan was even capable of coming to this realisation.

He suddenly lifted his head and caught her eyes and she felt the ache in her heart intensify a little as she held his gaze. Even though neither of them moved, she could almost physically feel him growing more and more distant. She could see the beginnings of a thousand sentences race across his face but he couldn't decide on any of them and, in the end, he simply got to his feet. He offered her his hand and she leaned heavily on it as she hauled herself off the ground. She ached profusely and her head thumped relentlessly. They stood facing each other in the shadow of the building and Elena had never felt so uncomfortable.

'Thank you for stopping me. I couldn't have ...' she trailed off, the rest of the sentence too awful to contemplate. He waved his hand dismissively.

'You didn't, don't worry about it. You'll be prepared at least, the next time there are kids about', he offered awkwardly. She nodded. A slight gust of wind caused her to wrap her arms around herself defensively.

'I suppose I had better go back and lie down for a while before we head off again', she said unhappily.

'I think I'll hunt some more', he told her anxiously. 'I'll walk you back to your room first though.' Elena found her head shaking before she had even processed the words.

'I'll be fine', she blurted out. 'You go. It's deserted now anyway. I'll be back to the room in no time.' She tried to give him a reassuring smile. She could tell that he wanted to argue with her but he quickly abandoned the idea. He had never won an argument with her once, so why try now? She moved to walk away but as she passed him, his hand was suddenly on her arm. She could feel the desperation in his touch.

'Be careful', he instructed, his voice almost breaking under weight of the emotion in it. His free hand reached and stroked her hair gently. His eyes were misty and for a horrible moment she thought he might cry. 'I would have done anything for you', he finally sighed, his voice raw and full of pain. 'I love you, Elena.' The words were like a stake to her heart and she felt instantly blinded by tears of guilt. Her mouth dropped open to parrot back the phrase almost automatically but something stalled within her and her tongue froze. The words just wouldn't come and she knew that she would never be able to say them to him again. The full realisation of how much her feelings had changed hit her hard, causing a sob to bubble up in her throat. His eyes searched her face frantically for any sign of reciprocation but as soon as she began to cry, he knew. Immediately he released her arm and nodded his understanding, not trusting himself to speak. She staggered back a few steps, hardly able to think through the pull of physical and emotional exhaustion. She swiped a hand across her eyes and started to walk away.

'I really didn't mean to hurt you', Stefan finally called after her, his voice shaking. Elena felt her heart sink as she knew that he wasn't only talking about the way he had tackled her into the wall. She turned back and a tortuous wave of shame crushed her as she looked at his face. She could tell that he had sensed the distance too, sensed them drifting so much further apart. She forced a smile even as hot tears spilled from her eyes.

'You didn't', she shook her head. 'At the time it was exactly what I needed', she continued the pretence by glancing at spot where they had collided with the wall. By the time she looked back he was gone and she was alone parking lot. The sobs that she had been trying to suppress burst forward and she buried her head in her hands. At vampire speed she dashed away, unable to look at the area any longer. She reached the trees and dove into their comforting shadow. She just couldn't go back to the room and coop herself up again, it would drive her insane, but she couldn't bear the exposed parking lot a moment longer.

Within sight of the edge of the woodland, she found a large, low hanging tree and gratefully slumped into the crook between the low branches and the trunk. The air was thick with the smell of pine and she felt sheltered and safe here. For a while she let herself cry unashamedly. She would never forget the look in Stefan's face right before he vanished, his heart had been broken. She didn't doubt that a time would come in the near future when the words would need to be said but she was sure that they now both knew that things would never be the same between them again. However, although her feelings had changed, she still cared about him and she would have given anything to avoid hurting him. If she could have thought of any way to avoid that look on his face she would have done it but hurting him with the truth now was kinder than continuing with the lie that their relationship had become.

Gradually, though, her tears lessened. The guilt that was suffocating her began to ease. Her eyes dried without her noticing and soon her remorse began to morph into relief. Once she noticed it, it grew stronger and stronger until it filled her up to the point of explosion. A huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders and the sense of liberation was staggering. She knew that the problem was still not wholly worked out but, in her mind, it was. In her mind she had made a decision. _The _decision. She remembered back to the last fateful night of her life. She remembered the decision that she reached then and could not believe how different this was. That night her hand had been forced, she hadn't been given time to think things through properly and, although she had chosen Stefan, she had still been filled with doubt. Tonight there was no doubt, no remorse. What she had seen in Katherine's memories had changed everything, made he think about each brother in a completely different light. It had almost been worth the pain and anxiety for the truths that she had been forced to see and take into consideration. She knew that this decision was the correct one, the certainty almost overwhelmed her, she knew that she wasn't meant to be with Stefan. As special as he was to her, she was not in love with him.

And then Damon loomed up in her mind, dark and exciting and utterly intoxicating. A smile sprang unbidden to her lips as she pictured his face, his startlingly beautiful eyes, maddening smirk and the unwavering love that shone through all his features. It was Damon who was mature enough to know exactly when to help her and when to let her learn for herself and Damon who was immature enough to make her laugh even when things were at their bleakest. He infuriated her, excited her and teased out the very best in her at every turn. And she knew deep down that she had the same effect on him. He was so much wiser than his brother, he already knew the secret of really being happy and Elena felt like she finally understood too. To be loved was all it would take for Damon to be blissfully content and it hurt her to think that in life and death he had always been denied that chance.

All of a sudden she wanted to be the one to give him that chance. It instantly was the most important thing in the whole world to her. She could make him happy, she could help him begin to erase more than a century of pain. All she had to do was love him. And she did. A little strength seeped back into her limbs as she fully allowed herself to believe her deepest darkest secret. She loved Damon. She had loved him for a long time but only now was she ready to cope with the enormity of the feeling and as she embraced it she felt a happiness that ran so deep her heart swelled.

Suddenly she was on her feet. Her body was heavy but this unexpected, wonderful epiphany spurred her on. She couldn't wait another second. She had to see Damon right now. She moved quickly through the trees but as she reached the edge of the parking lot she faltered. Suddenly on the cusp of admitting the truth and getting what she had really wanted all this time she felt her nerves begin to shriek. She pictured herself knocking his door and then a thousand scenarios played out through her mind. In some he grabbed her in a tight embrace, in others she found herself pinned against the wall, her clothes gone before she could even get the words out. Then there were those in which he laughed at her, some where he simply shook his head sadly while in others he snorted with contempt and asked her why she thought that he would still want her after everything she had put him through. She took a deep breath. She couldn't let her nerve fail now. She was tired of this doubt and indecision, she was tired of the constant pain and most of all ... she was tired of waiting. Before she could change her mind she screwed all her courage to the sticking place and strode across the parking lot, her overloaded brain almost imploded as she reached room 8. She hesitated only a moment longer and then, with her heart in her mouth, she reached up and knocked the door.


	19. Chapter 19

**Eyes of the Doppelganger – Chapter 19**

**Aw! I really am sorry to all the people who have been upset that I deliberately left the last chapter on a cliffhanger – but you know what they say – always leave them wanting more! Your reviews did make me laugh though because, yes, I am that evil! Mwah ha ha! That being said I am now super nervous about this chapter, I hope it lives up to your expectations. Fingers crossed. Thanks again all you fabulous reviewers and anyone recommending this, I really appreciate it, much love to you all. **

**I don't own anything. This is just for fun.**

The rap of her knuckles against the wood rang in Elena's ears and was almost indistinguishable from her headache. Ironically, the pounding almost made her feel like she had a heartbeat again, and it was racing. The slow tick of each second was excruciating, but finally, the handle clicked and the door swung open to reveal Damon's tensed form. He regarded her carefully for a moment, then leaned on the door frame with forced nonchalance, his face stony and his eyes hard. This unexpectedly cold reception threw Elena off guard and she faltered.

'Bit late for house calls, isn't it?' Damon raised a sardonic eyebrow. 'Or is this just a visit to the blood bank?' His eyes pierced her to her core and she suddenly felt so nervous and disoriented. The only reaction she could muster was to shake her head silently, unable to tear her questioning eyes away from him. He seemed to register her discomfiture and he narrowed his eyes further, shaking his head a little.

'Enjoy your little evening constitutional?' he carried on sharply, by way of an explanation. 'I couldn't help but notice that your direction was distinctly Stefan-ward', he smirked coldly. In a detached part of her mind she admired his ability to convey so many different emotions with just that calculated quirk of his mouth. She blinked at him in bewilderment for a moment and then a cold fear gripped the pit of her stomach as a rush of understanding surged through her. He had heard her leave her room and knew that she had headed in the opposite direction. He thought that she had gone to Stefan. She could only assume that he had dissolved into one of his usual tempers at that point and stopped listening. He didn't know the rest of the story.

This sudden, miserable realisation forced an exceptionally painful throb through Elena's body and she clutched her head with a groan. Damon watched her and felt his insides tearing themselves apart. He was angry with her, as far as he knew she had rejected him once more and only come running to him when she needed something but, in spite of himself, he couldn't bear to see her in pain.

'What's wrong with you?' he asked warily, the pitch of his voice rising in concern. Elena swallowed down the swelling ache and looked at him with wide, confused eyes. She was feeling increasingly stupid standing on the doorstep like a tongue tied school girl. The pain and fatigue that plagued her body was beginning to steal all capacity for rational thought but she forced herself to clear her throat and shake her head to regain some sense.

'Nothing', she replied, 'I just ... can I come in?' she finished weakly. Damon grew very serious again and she could see the internal debate in his face.

'Why?' he finally asked quietly, his eyes tortured. 'Shouldn't you be back knocking at Stefan's door?' he quipped, driving his smirk back into place. She looked at her feet, desperate to find the words to explain.

'I didn't knock Stefan's door!' she suddenly found herself crying out. 'Not now, not earlier', she continued awkwardly with a small shrug, then she lifted her head again and bravely held his gaze. 'I didn't knock his door. I knocked yours.'

Damon looked slightly taken aback for a moment, the harshness melting away. His eyes became wide and honest, filling with that familiar mixture of hope and fear. At first he didn't reply, then, after hesitating for what felt like an eternity, he simply stood back and held the door open with his arm, jerking his head backwards a little to motion her inside. Elena flooded with relief and gratefully ducked under his arm into the room beyond before her nerve failed her completely.

She looked around as Damon locked the door behind her. The room was the same as her own and he too had kept it relatively dark, only switching on one lamp in the corner. It created a delicious mess of enticing shadows that made everything seem all the more inviting. His small bag sat on a chair in the corner, his leather jacket lying neatly over the top and the cooler of blood was on the floor underneath. He was still wearing his jeans, T-Shirt and boots but the bed sheets were rumpled and there was a battered copy of A Tale of Two Cities on the nightstand. She felt a thrill of excitement picturing him in such a domestic setting, knowing that he had been lying here, doing something so conventional when she had disturbed him. She strayed closer to the bed, suddenly feeling too shy to look at him so she fixed her eyes carefully on the dog eared book. She would never have guessed that he liked Dickens she thought idly and it warmed her to know that there were so many things about him that she had yet to discover.

'So', he interrupted her reverie and she instinctively snapped her head up to look at him. He prowled along the opposite edge of the bed, keeping the piece of furniture between them. 'What is it Elena?' he asked, his voice soft but guarded. She felt her stomach clench again, her shredded nerves jangling. Being so close to him was intensifying everything, especially since she wanted so badly to appease him and make him understand that she had not chosen to be with Stefan that evening. When she looked at him she was simply overcome with a profound need and it was so strong that she couldn't even pinpoint exactly what she was craving. She wanted everything. She wanted to be the one that got to lie next to him when he sprawled in bed reading books. She wanted to be the one that made him smile that pure, honest smile that she had seen only a few times on his face. And she wanted to be the one that could soothe his unavoidable rages, the one person to whom he could admit when he had been hurt.

Suddenly there was so much that she wanted to say to him and it all came rushing into her head at once. The overwhelming emotion bordered on panic and the throbbing pain began to crash like thunder in her brain. Everything seemed to go into slow motion as the exquisite pain shot through her head like lightning. She saw Damon's face change, alarm slicing across his features and, in a daze, she wondered why he was vaulting across the bed towards her.

As he advanced, she abruptly flickered into a snippet of a memory. He was still lunging towards her and it was still over a bed, only this time he was his younger self, hair scruffily falling over his forehead. He was completely naked and had a hungry grin on his face that elicited a squeal of delight from Elena or was it Katherine or both? Elena could hardly tell any more. Then suddenly everything was dark and the whole world rocked. She could now feel fresh air and was in a trundling vehicle of some kind, a coach perhaps and she could see along the winding road that she had clearly travelled. Some way behind them she could still see Damon and he was still leaping towards her, only now he was so far away. His face was only a speck in the distance but she could tell that it was twisted in agony, so distraught that she could hardly bear it. All of a sudden she could smell oil and burning flames and suddenly she realised that the wavering shadow of a large cross was looming ominously over them. The church. This was the night that they thought she had burned. Elena didn't have time to process this memory any further as everything suddenly began to move so fast, just like the night in Stefan's room. Fractured snapshots of memories were dredged up from Katherine's mind and filled Elena's in a blitz of sensation. They were all so different, light and dark, indoors and outdoors but the one constant element in each and every one was Damon. He was always there and always reaching for her, just out of her grasp. Suddenly everything came to an unbearable crescendo and she felt a glimmer of gratitude at the familiar feeling of something giving way in her head. Then darkness rushed in on her.

Damon saw it happen, saw the moment when consciousness left her and her swaying body began to collapse, but he was there in time. He caught her moments before she hit the floor and hauled her up into his arms.

'Elena! Elena!' he called anxiously, holding her upright and grabbing her chin to keep her head from lolling uselessly back. She was like a rag doll in his arms and it frightened him to see the lifelessness in her pale cheeks. He cursed to himself and braced her weight on one arm while he snapped his other arm up to his mouth and crunched into his wrist. He didn't even notice the two tiny bites of pain as he withdrew his fangs and pressed the bleeding wounds to Elena's slack mouth. 'Come on, come on', he coaxed her but his pleas fell on deaf ears and quickly he felt new skin crawling across the ragged gashes until they had healed. He snatched his arm back, and felt utterly helpless for a moment. Elena's skin was grey now and the angry smear of blood that he had left on her lips looked black. 'Come on Elena, just drink!' he begged her. He could feel her dying in his arms all over again and it made him feel like following her.

'No!' he shouted out loud. He refused to let this happen, he would never give up on her. He tipped her head back so that her mouth was forced to gape open and once more he ripped viciously into his own flesh. This time he held the bleeding wound just above her and let the scarlet rivulets drip directly down her throat. She reflexively swallowed and within a few moments she let out an almost imperceptible whimper. Her head still swayed unresponsively but he had heard the tiny sign of life and it spurred him on.

'Elena!' he shouted again, shaking her as hard as he dared. 'Elena, I know this hurts and I know it's hard but you have to wake up, just for a second. Wake up and take a drink then I promise, I'll let you sleep. Just wake up now!' he shouted, his hand fisted in her hair and gave a slight tug to accentuate each word. Her eyelids gave the tiniest flutter but they did not open. A grim desperation started to set in and waking her was suddenly the only thought in his mind. Roughly, he hefted her weight up in his arms and tossed her over his shoulder. He carried her to the corner and attacked the cooler with his foot until the lid popped open and he hurriedly seized a blood bag. He burst into the adjoining bathroom, Elena's arms hanging limply down his back and kicked at the door of the shower cubicle. It immediately burst from its hinges and clattered across the room. He groped frantically for the switch and almost wrenched it from the wall as a spray of water sputtered forth. He slammed the temperature control to its lowest setting and set Elena back on her feet under the freezing torrent, holding her up by once more crushing her against his chest.

He gritted his teeth against the icy water and tried to ignore the way it soaked through his shirt and chilled him to the bone. He angled Elena's face so that the glacial rivulets battered across her skin and he looked urgently for any sign of a reaction. After a few moments her eyes screwed up against the deluge and she moaned, trying weakly to turn her head away. All the air left his body in a huff of relief.

'Atta girl', he hissed under his breath and then he quickly tore the blood bag open with his fangs and forced the flow to her lips. At first she shook her head thickly in an attempt to resist but as the blood filled her mouth she began to respond and gulp greedily. Soon her hand latched his where he held the bag and he felt her grip grow increasingly stronger. He pulled back from her a little and saw that her eyes were open and her face baffled, her hand flailing uselessly above her in an attempt to shield her face from the water. He gave a heavy sigh of relief and twisted her slightly in his arms so that she was removed from the spray.

'Hey, wakey wakey', he crooned, one hand stroking her cheek as he waited for her eyes to focus on him. Awareness slowly crept back into her face and she clutched at his T-Shirt frantically, as if her life depended on it.

'Damon?' she breathed uncertainly. 'What ... what happened?' she looked around the shower in bewilderment. He was about to reply when he realised that her other hand was now running up his chest, greedily stroking at the wet material of his shirt. He sucked in his breath when she reached his collar and her fingers made contact with his skin.

'Elena', he hissed, backing away as far as the shower wall would allow, but then his words were lost in a gasp as she pulled herself tight up against him. Her eyes were now wide open and burning with frantic desire, her chest heaving under her laboured breaths. Damon felt a little sick when he realised that she must have become aroused from drinking his blood. He had never made contact with her while she drank so he had felt no effect and the consequences had slipped his mind. Coupled with the bloodlust cravings that had been attacking her, she must now be confused and filled with an aimless but heart rending craving which, in her weakened state, she was completely unable or unwilling to fight. Even as he realised what was happening, her arms were snaking around his neck and she was stretching her face up towards him. She ran her fingers through his hair excitedly, causing him to swallow hard and something to stir deep within him.

'Elena ... wait', he managed to choke out. 'Stop! The blood will start to work in a minute then you'll ... be more in control', he gasped but she was shaking her head defiantly.

'I can't', she whispered frantically, her eyes still completely wild and devoid of reason. 'I need you, I need you now', she growled, then she met his mouth with her own in a scorching kiss. He was taken unawares and for a moment he kissed her back instinctively, then her tongue sneaked teasingly along his lips and any resolve he had left crumbled. He whirled them around at vampire speed so that she was pressed against the wall and he lifted her off her feet. As her legs kicked out to wrap around his waist she inadvertently kicked the temperature control for the shower and the freezing deluge suddenly began to get blisteringly hot. She kissed him fiercely, her nails digging into his back and Damon could feel all reason fading away from him as the scalding water burned across their skin.

He lost himself in her, his fingers digging into the flesh of her hips. He left her mouth and trailed slippery kisses down her neck until she gave a ravenous cry. One hand slid underneath to support her while the other ran up, tracing her ribcage to cup her chest and press it lightly as the bathroom steadily filled with steam. She let out a loud hiss of pleasure and pulled him more heavily against her, kissing him with renewed fervour as if there was no way that he could ever be close enough to her. Damon was aflame with lust, almost blind with all consuming desperation and he could not stop his fingers fisting in the material of her shirt and tearing it open. He peeled the sodden material back from her in one feverish tug and revealed her smooth, flat stomach and perfect breasts, framed enticingly by the wet black material of her bra. She squeezed her legs tighter around him and almost drove him insane with desire. He dove back towards her, slamming her against the wall and unleashing all his passion into a sizzling kiss.

Then suddenly he felt a sharp pain on his tongue. He wrenched his head back and realised that her red eyes were staring at him voraciously and her fangs were bared. She was still hungry, he realised. She was hungry and confused and probably still in shock. He knew that if he did this now he would be taking advantage of her disorientation and no matter how much they both wanted it in this moment, it would be wrong. Exerting all his will power, he stepped back and let her slide back to the ground. She thrust herself at him amorously again but he caught her by the shoulders and held her at arm's length. Her hands grabbed his wrists tightly, massaging the flesh suggestively.

'Elena', he tried to get her attention. 'Elena, you need more blood, you're still hungry', he told her, an agonising frustration burning inside him. Her crazed eyes flashed with anger for a moment, then slowly he began to see a glimmer of rationality spark in them. She shook her head apprehensively; a dash of fear in her face and Damon knew that the blood was beginning to make its way through her system, returning her to her senses. She glanced around uncertainly, letting out a strangled whimper when she noticed her gaping shirt and she folded it swiftly across her body, hugging it tightly against her. Finally her eyes locked on his. He gave her a small but genuine smile. 'Hi', he breathed, relief and regret twisting unbearably through him. The water beat relentlessly against them and they stayed suspended in each other's soothing gaze, no words were needed but it was all the comfort that Elena needed as she felt her senses finally return in their entirety and with them, the searing memory of what had just happened. Slowly Damon's hand came up and stroked her hair gently. It was the most calming gesture Elena had ever encountered. 'Welcome back', he finally grinned, 'Can I interest you in a drink?' Her face collapsed into a feeble laugh and she nodded.

'Yes', she agreed, 'Damon, I'm so thirsty.' He felt himself deflate slightly inside, but he was so relieved that she was lucid and talking to him again that he would have forgiven her anything. The feeling of holding her lifeless body was one that he would never banish and he knew it would revisit him in his nightmares.

'Good. You just stay here a minute and I'll be right back', he ordered and reluctantly groped for the shower control, finally turning the water off. In a flash of vampire speed he had retrieved a new blood bag from the cooler and brought it back to her. She leaned heavily against the shower wall as she grabbed it from him and sunk her fangs through the plastic.

She drained the bag in record time and then leaned forward on her thighs as it coursed through her system. Strength seeped back into her limbs and the memories of the evening forced their way to the front of her mind. She remembered the motel, the awful scene with Stefan and she remembered why she had come to Damon's room. She had come to ask him to forgive her for her blindness and take all the love that she had to offer him, because she had already taken so much of his – then she had collapsed, tried to attack him and drained a blood bag like some rabid animal right in front of him. She had never been so humiliated in all her life. She straightened up again and leaned her head back against the wall, covering her face with her hands. Damon was slumped wearily against the opposite wall and he watched her intently. He could tell that she was more or less herself again and he properly relaxed for the first time since she had appeared at his door. Why had she appeared at his door, he wondered. Something had been wrong even before her collapse, he had never seen her so nervous and jumpy. He itched to ask her but he didn't want to pressure her after what she had just been through and reluctantly he decided to keep things neutral for the time being.

'That was too close', he observed. 'The sooner we find Katherine the better.' When she didn't reply he looked up to find her still standing with her face hidden behind her hands. 'How do you feel?' he asked soberly. She didn't uncover her face.

'Mortified', she mumbled through her fingers. At last this brought a smile to Damon's face and he honestly did not think that he could find her any more lovable. He raised one eyebrow.

'Because you tried to jump me?' he asked wickedly, 'Nah, you just couldn't help yourself. Happens all the time', he quipped. At last she pulled her hands away from her face and she thumped his arm.

'Damon!' she cried but the admonishing tone was slightly impeded by her teeth chattering. At once he realised that they were both drenched, their clothes sodden with rapidly cooling water. The chill hadn't even occurred to him until now. He stepped away from the wall with a start.

'Come on, we'd better get you out of those clothes', he smirked happily. Elena opened her mouth to protest and then simply began to laugh, dropping her head to her shoulder. Damon grinned and stepped out of the shower. Most of the steam had now dissipated from the room and he grabbed a towel from the rail which he gently wrapped around Elena's shoulders. He pulled it tight around her, drawing her in to his chest and tried to rub some warmth into her shivering body. Now that her arms were trapped inside the towel she could do nothing but lift her face up to him, her sleepy smile making her look as beautiful as he had ever seen her.

'I've said this to you so often but I don't think I could ever say it enough', she looked up at him from under her lashes. He narrowed his eyes quizzically. 'Thank you', she finished. They held each other's gaze for a long time and the silence around them was so comfortable that Elena could happily have stayed there forever. Finally Damon gave a little sigh, as if he too hated that this moment had to end, and he slipped an arm around her shoulders and led her out of the bathroom.

Damon went straight to his bag and rummaged around for a second before producing a black shirt and holding it up for her. She felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips.

'Exactly how many black shirts do you have?' she asked teasingly. He grinned and tossed it directly at her so that it landed on her head and draped over her face.

'Hey, I lived through the seventies, it could be a lot worse' he retorted as she pulled the shirt off of her head, her smile growing as she realised that it smelled intoxicatingly like him. 'Just get rid of those wet clothes and put it on', he finished amiably, grabbing some more clothes from the bag and heading back into the bathroom. Once he had closed the door behind him, she quickly stripped off her sodden clothes. She towelled herself dry and then held Damon's shirt to her face for a moment, breathing in its scent before she yanked it gratefully over her head. She glanced around the room, slightly at a loss as to how to proceed. She was certain that he had no inclination of making her leave since he had just given her a shirt, but it did leave her feeling a little exposed. Quickly, before he could return, she leapt onto the bed and scooted under the covers, pulling them up to her chest. She felt a lot more secure now and her mind excitedly returned to the reason that she was here.

She felt so different now than when she had first knocked on his door. All the awkwardness and anxiety had melted away in the wake of what had happened. Part of her was even glad. She wasn't sure that she would have been able to articulate her feelings earlier, not with the overwhelming nerves and pain, plus the misunderstanding regarding Stefan. Even when she had felt herself losing consciousness she had hardly worried, because she knew that Damon would look after her, knew that he would never let anything happen to her. The last half an hour had drawn them so close again, to that hot, sticky precipice of repressed desire that they had reached so many times. The point at which she was always overcome with fear and ran away. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she resolved that she would never run away from him again. She was stronger now, strong enough to meet him head on. Her stomach twisted with an intoxicating anticipation and she snuggled further down against the pillows, enjoying the way she sank softly into them. Already her skin was starting to react sensitively to the stimulation and she glided her legs against each other beneath the covers, enjoying the delicious friction, while she eagerly watched the bathroom door.

She couldn't help the smile that broke out across her face when he returned to the room in dry clothes, barefoot and his hair damp and unruly. Slowly he sat at her feet and languorously sprawled across the bottom of the bed like a panther, eventually lying on his side with his head propped on his arm at the opposite corner. He looked up at her with wicked eyes but remained on top of the covers; however, they were close enough for Elena to feel her breath hitch and his finger s idly began to walk up and down her ankle on top of the sheets. The air around them felt thick and buzzing with the most exciting tension. His clear blue eyes were trained penetratingly on her own, giving her the option of speaking first.

'I didn't go to Stefan's room', she told him again, her eyes searching his face to make sure that he believed her. He nodded and stared intently at the bed spread.

'I heard you leave. When you went in the other direction I assumed ...' he trailed off sheepishly. She smiled.

'You know what happens when you 'assume'', she teased. He met her eyes and smiled.

'Where did you go?' he asked, 'It could have been dangerous, Elena.' She sighed, reluctant to tell him the truth and leave herself open to a scolding but there was no point in hiding the truth. She took a deep breath and began to tell him the story about the family in the car and then about Stefan. He listened in silence, his face quiet and angry when he realised what she had almost done without him being there to stop her.

'I'm sorry', he growled. 'I should have been there ... I should have ...' he trailed off but she interrupted him with a smile.

'No, it's not your job to watch me every hour of the day', she assured him and his features softened slightly. Her face fell a little, however, since she knew that she was just about to snatch away this piece of comfort.

'Stefan stopped me', she admitted haltingly, mentally bracing herself for his reaction. His eyes got wide and alert and she saw several emotions flit across his face even though he kept his eyes lowered. He seemed to consider his words carefully before he spoke.

'So where is Stefan now?' he asked meaningfully, still not meeting her gaze. She felt a thrill of excitement as they began to circle around the crux of her presence in his bed.

'Gone', she finally whispered. His eyes snapped up right away, desperately trying to sense the implications of her reply. After a moment the silence began to feel heavy and Elena felt compelled to continue. 'Hunting again, I guess, I'm not sure', she continued, with a slight shrug. He stared wonderingly at her, carefully digesting the information. After a long time he finally looked away, towards the point where the fingers that had been dancing over her ankle were now stroking it fondly.

'Well, I'm glad you're back to yourself now?' he finally told her quietly, his words loaded with meaning that was just outside her grasp. She smiled sheepishly and nodded.

'Yes – whatever that is', she replied wistfully. He raised his eyebrows questioningly and she sighed. 'When we stopped at my house I took my diary', she began to explain. 'I was reading it earlier tonight and ... well ... it seems like it was written by a different person. It made me wonder if I even know who I am anymore', she finished. Damon nodded slowly.

'You're still you', he agreed tenderly. 'Just a different kind of you.' He let some of the potent lust drain out of his eyes. He knew how bewildered she must be, he had gone through it himself and he desperately wanted to be the person who could help her through this, make sure that it didn't break her. The kind of person that he wished had been there for him. She smiled, appreciating his sincerity and understanding.

'I kept wondering', she began, carefully sorting out her thoughts in her head. 'If I were to start another diary, would I recognise this new person? Would I even like her?' she mused sadly. Damon looked at her with sympathy and a deep affection.

'I think you would', he grinned. 'I do.' She laughed, thoroughly enjoying the soft but suggestive way that he was looking at her.

'No matter how much you might want to carry on as if everything was the same, it just isn't', he told her gently. 'Certain parts of your personality change, become more dominant or more recessive but that happens to us all as we grow up, Elena. That's life. You can't stick slavishly to things that are familiar. You've got to roll with the punches.'

'So you're saying that I have to change no matter what?' she asked despondently.

'I'm just saying that you can't hide from it', he told her wisely, not a trace of sarcasm in his face. It was the open, honest expression that she had seen on his youthful counterpart. For a moment she was fiercely grateful for Katherine's memories allowing her to see this side of him and making her seek it out for herself. 'You have to adapt', he continued, 'Embrace the things that change. It's the ones who can't adapt that don't make it,' he finished. She contemplated this slowly and for a while there was no sound but that of his hand, which had now reached the back of her knee, sliding easily up and down her calf.

'I think I know what you mean', she finally breathed. 'Deep down I still feel like me but ... maybe I've just reassessed what's important to me.' She looked up at him warily, the butterflies in her stomach threatening to escape. His hand stilled on her leg, his grip tightening ever so slightly. His eyes were wide and full of guarded hope but his features remained unperturbed. Thrumming with excitement, Elena took a deep breath. 'Damon? Do you know why I came here tonight?'

'I was wondering when you were going to tell me that', he answered softly, not moving a muscle save for turning his sapphire eyes patiently towards her. He knew that she was confused and her thoughts were racing but, if she had something to tell him, he had to hear it. She steeled herself as she tried to find the right words.

'I came because I wanted to tell you ... I needed you to know that, after everything that's happened, I _do _feel different. All the things that I thought were important _have_ changed and ... it's just taken me some time to catch up with that', she began cautiously. She saw his brow begin to furrow but he remained silent and let her stumble on. 'I care about you Damon, you know I've always cared about you, but it was only when I turned that I really started to see things clearly', she continued, her thoughts scattering the more she tried to hold onto them. 'And then since I began falling into Katherine's memories, it just let me see you so differently.' Immediately Damon began to look uncomfortable and turned away from her. 'I know that there's a side of you that you like to keep hidden, I mean, you've let me see flashes of it...' she trailed off as he suddenly let out a low angry growl and pulled himself up into a sitting position at the bottom of the bed, his back to her. She felt her stomach clench, she had no idea what she had said that could have offended him. 'Damon', she asked, her voice shaking slightly.

'I hate that you've seen me through her eyes', he said flatly, not turning to face her. 'I don't even like to think about those times now', he finished and Elena was sure that there was a note in his voice that she had never heard before. It was embarrassment. Katherine had duped him, made him feel like a fool and his pride had been wounded. She realised now why he guarded himself so carefully, deflected all blows with sarcasm and affected ambivalence. He was scared to be vulnerable again, scared to let anyone know how he truly felt. Except when it came to her. For her he had laid his heart on the line all over again and she had come so close to squashing it.

'There's no shame in being in love Damon', she tried to reassure him. 'I've seen how much you loved her.'

'You've seen how I loved _her_, so does how I love _you_ count for nothing?' he suddenly snapped heatedly.

'I didn't mean that', she stammered, 'I just ...'

'All the things I've done since we met count for nothing because you've seen how I loved someone else?' he cut her off.

'Damon ... no!' she cried, shocked, rising up to her knees and wondering how this could all be going so wrong.

'Do you think now that you've seen my human face, it suddenly makes me a different person? You know me Elena, more than anyone probably, do you think I take telling you that I love you lightly?' he shouted, springing to his feet and pacing furiously but Elena was sure that she could hear a shot of fear in his words. Now her own anger began to flare a little. He was hiding again, masking his feelings with exaggerated bravado and making his problems worse. This time she wasn't going to let him.

'No!' she shouted and her raised voice seemed to take some of the wind out of his sails. She struggled up out of the bed, not caring that the only thing draping her body was his shirt. 'I think you are doing what you always do, Damon!' she went on, advancing on him and leaving him looking completely disconcerted. 'You're scared!' she jabbed a finger at his chest. 'You're making all the same mistakes, you're lashing out because you've been knocked down so many times, you try to pre-empt it by jumping before you're pushed.' Damon scoffed but she was incredible in her rage, fiery and straightforward and completely unwilling to let him get away with anything. He took a deep breath, his whole body bristling.

'I don't want you to think that what I felt for her is anything like what I feel for you', he snarled, running a hand aggressively through his hair.

'I know, Damon', she approached him carefully. 'I just got to see such a beautiful side of you, to see you _human...'_ but once again he exploded with rage, snorting with derisive laughter.

'Oh? Suddenly I deserve you as much as my brother does just because you've seen me with a heartbeat?' he rounded on her with an angry smirk.

'I didn't mean seeing you human then', she fumed, ' I meant the rare times that you let me see that human side _now_. Katherine's memories just let me recognise the man that was struggling to get out. When you were with me the night I turned, I saw him. When you stayed by my side every day when Stefan was missing, I saw him. When you compelled me to forget that you loved me so that I could continue to be with your brother, I saw him. Now I knew where he was coming from.' She began to feel tears welling up in her throat now and Damon was looking at her as if as if his heart were about to break. 'And you keep using that word Damon. Deserve', she yelled, throwing her hands up in despair. 'What does that even mean? How does one person deserve another?' she carried on furiously. 'People aren't achievements. You don't _deserve_ someone, you either love them or you don't. 'Have you forgotten that?' He his eyes were wide with shock and he opened his mouth to reply but suddenly Elena found that the words were pouring out so fast that she couldn't stop them. 'By that logic I should have to do something to show you how I feel.'

'You don't have to prove anything to me', he told her seriously, his face dark but full of yearning. 'You're good right to the centre Elena. How could I ever live up to that ... all the things I've done', his face was agonised. 'When I compelled you to forget what I said that night, I didn't think I could ever be good enough for you. I thought you would be happier with him.' His honesty was raw and painful to watch.

'How could I be happier with him when I don't love him!' she screamed and at once she gasped, sending them both lurching into silence. Damon shook his head a little, disbelief painted across his face.

'You don't?' he asked, his voice quiet because he didn't trust it not to shake. She shook her head, a tear finally escaping and sliding down her cheek. He took a step towards her, the air around them so heavy with anticipation it was almost suffocating. 'Does he know?' he breathed, advancing another pace. She thought again of Stefan's distraught face right before he left her and she nodded. Damon finally reached her, moving in so close to her that her skin tingled all over. She looked up into his face, their gaze joining with an intensity that almost raised sparks. He still seemed unable to believe the events that were unfolding. Hesitantly his hand made contact with her arm and started to slide slowly up towards her shoulder. 'Elena, if this is what I think it is, you have to mean it. You can't change your mind this time, I couldn't bear it', he whispered, his hand crossing her shoulder and gently massaging her neck. Once again, her breathing was laboured as she subconsciously moved closer. She gently reached up and stroked his hair, then she placed her hands firmly on either side of his face. All she could see were his yearning eyes and her stomach fluttered uncontrollably. At last they were here, together and with no excuses. Nothing was keeping them from being honest, there was nothing to blame their indiscretions on. This was what he wanted and what she wanted to give him. This was real.

'Damon', she said gently, a shaky smile softening her face. 'I love you.' A tremor went through his body and he inhaled sharply.

'Say it again', he gasped plainly, his voice breaking under the emotion. She gave a small, relieved breath of laughter. She leaned forward so that her mouth was directly against her ear.

'I love you', she breathed. The words had barely left her when his hand closed on the back of her neck in a burst of passion and he pulled her into a blazing kiss. She threw her arms around him and held on tight as their kiss grew deeper. His hands slipped under her shirt and greedily roamed across her flesh, her silken skin so fantastic that he never wanted to stop touching it. He continued his explorations, stroking up and down her back until she felt like she was on fire. She fumbled with the fly of his jeans and finally managed to undo it, tracing inside of his waistband with her tiny hands. He growled as he felt her hands burrow lower and he pulled back. Suddenly he seized the hem of her shirt, whipping it up over her head and for the first time he looked upon her completely naked. The sight stopped him in his tracks for a moment and he gazed at her in awe. His hungry stare bolstered her confidence and further enflamed her need. She backed towards the bed, smiling invitingly as she lay back against the pillows. At last the situation seemed to settle on Damon and he realised that she was truly here, lying on his bed and waiting for him. He impatiently tore the shirt from his body and a mischievous smirk grew on his face signifying the return of the Damon that she had fallen in love with.

Elena couldn't help but giggle and in a moment he was crawling over her, sliding in between her legs. She felt the rough material of the unfastened pants that he still wore scratching her inner thighs as he pushed up against her, his hand stroking around her ass and hitching her knee up over her hip. He settled on top of her and stroked her face softly, relishing the feeling of skin against skin. He looked into her eyes and in them she saw the happiness that she had longed to bring him. She smiled up at him and toyed with the hair at the nape of his neck.

'I love you too', he finally whispered, then he was kissing her again. Elena could feel her arousal surging through her and she locked her ankles behind his back, urging him into her as they kissed. Gradually his attention strayed away from her lips; he traced her jawline with tiny kisses and then slowly ran his tongue down her neck. She writhed in ecstasy as he nibbled lower towards her breasts and his hands stroked over them sensually. He took a nipple between his fingers, tugging on it gently and causing her to groan loudly before he soothed it by taking it in his mouth and running her tongue around it in gentle circles. She thrust up into him as his ministrations sent ripples of pleasure running through her. She could feel the exquisite coiling tension beginning to build up deep within her and she wondered how he could be so good at this.

She tossed her head from side to side on the pillow as he finally moved on and began to slowly lick across her stomach. He slid further down the bed and looked up at her with a filthy glare, one eyebrow raised. She could feel his hair tickling her thigh and he was so close to the aching spot between her legs that was desperate for his touch.

'You sure?' he asked, pressing a kiss to her inner thigh and flicking his tongue against her skin. She gasped as a shiver ran through her.

'Yes', she hissed, 'Damon, please.' He grinned sinfully and his head had just begun to move towards her when there was a sudden jarring, hammering sound. Elena practically jumped out of her skin and she felt Damon flinch between her legs, an angry snarl escaping him. The jolt of fear that had shook her deflated the atmosphere in the room and she and Damon looked at each other aghast. The hammering started again and at once Damon jumped to his feet with a roar. Elena just had time to roll over on the bed, pulling the sheets around her before another crash and the sound of splintering wood split the air. She looked up in shock, past Damon who still stood bare chested, although he had at least managed to fasten his pants. The door leaned uselessly against the wall, the lock burst open and on the threshold stood Stefan, his face a mask of panic.

'Damon!' he cried, 'Damon are you here? Elena's gone, we have to ...' but his words dried up when he saw the scene before him, his brother half dressed and Elena desperately clutching sheets around herself in the bed behind. He stopped dead and his face sagged, a blank, deadness filling his eyes. 'Never mind, I found her', he said in a hollow voice, staring at Elena who was now hiding her face, utterly humiliated.

'Stefan what are you doing', Damon growled, placing himself protectively between his brother and Elena. Stefan turned to his brother with a face like stone.

'I stopped to check in on Elena', he replied in a level voice, 'She wasn't there and I was worried that ...well ...looks like there was no need', he finished, a note of sarcasm creeping into his voice as he looked between them. Damon held his brother's gaze firmly. He was not gloating, not flippant about what had happened, but he was not remorseful. He would never apologise for what had just happened. Stefan staggered back a few paces and turned to the window. 'It's almost sun up', he said flatly, 'We'd better get going.' It was clear that he was desperate get away, to not have to look on this tableau anymore and without a further word he turned and left the room, leaving Elena and Damon looking at each other uneasily. Finally Damon moved and secured the door as best he could despite the broken lock. Slowly he turned around and leaned against it, looking at the floor.

'You said that you told him', he said in a quiet, dangerous voice. Elena looked at him, confused.

'What?'

'You said that you told him. That it was over between you. That didn't look like a man who knew that you were over', he clarified, an edge in his voice. Elena felt a creeping dread rising up her spine.

'He did,' she retaliated pathetically, 'He did know.' Damon finally met her eyes.

'So you told him?' he asked pointedly. Elena began to squirm under his glare and pulled the sheets up closer to her chin.

'Yes ... well ... not in so many words,' she sheepishly admitted. 'But if you had seen his face ... he knew ...'

'Christ Elena', Damon sighed and dropped heavily onto the bed at her feet. Immediately she was up on her knees, scooting up against his back and putting her arms around his neck, her head leaning forward over his shoulder.

'Damon, please', she begged, 'it doesn't change anything. I love _you_, not Stefan.' Damon turned to her and his face softened into a smile. His hands came up and covered hers where they rested against his bare chest.

'He's my brother Elena', he admitted. 'You might not like the word 'deserve' but I think he deserves a little better than that.' She frowned, and felt her stomach sink.

'You're worried about Stefan now?' she whispered, hurt. 'He's not usually so high on your list of priorities. That's not what's really bothering you.' He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face.

'I know this is difficult to understand Elena', he began seriously. 'I think everyone knows that I was never above sneaking in under the radar when it comes to women but with you ... you're different Elena. I've never loved anyone like this and when we finally ...' he lapsed into silence and indicated the bed behind them. Elena nuzzled further into his neck to indicate that she understood. 'I want it to be right, no complications, just you and me.' She pulled back, feeling sadly like she had let him down. He turned to look at her, his face unhappy now.

'I'm sorry', she apologised, meaning it with all her heart. Damon nodded and then suddenly he was on his feet pulling his shirt back on.

'We'd better talk about it later', he told her softly. 'We need to get going.'

He fetched her things from the room next door and she dressed quickly. When they reached the car Stefan was already sitting in the driver's seat. Damon dropped into his place in the front while Elena climbed uncomfortably into the back. The taut silence that settled on the car lasted all the way to San Francisco.


	20. Chapter 20

**Eyes of the Doppelganger – Chapter 20**

**Oooh! Heading towards the climax – I never thought this story would take so long and there are still quite a few chapters left to go! Sorry this update is a bit late – major writer's block for parts of this – I hate writing about real places. I only stuck with the plan because I really wanted to bring them to a big city kind of as an allegory for the way the world is opening up to Elena now that she's a vampire and as it does for all of us as we grow up. So apologies if those parts aren't any good. Also the hotel isn't real so don't be surprised if it doesn't turn up on google! (if it does turn up then that is news to me – and pretty spooky!)**

**I don't own anything but the plot. This is just for fun.**

Elena was being chased through a faceless, dark landscape by a terrifying creature swathed entirely in black smoke. The only discernible feature was a pair of bony, white hands that emerged from the darkness and reached greedily for her. She ran as fast as she could to escape its clutching grasp but it was always behind her. As she felt all hope draining from her, her foot finally faltered on the uneven yet non-descript terrain and she pitched forward, rolling across the ground onto her back. She looked up in horror as the dark, nebulous creature advanced on her, the white fingers edging ever closer. Elena felt a scream rising in her throat but it seemed to get stuck and she became frozen by the paralysing horror. Suddenly the murky fog began to shift and dissipate and more of the arms became visible, stretching out towards her. They were human arms, cold and pale but human none the less. The cloud steadily receded, uncloaking the figure hidden within. The smoke worked slowly upwards until, finally, the last vestiges were swept clear of the face. The scream seemed to swell in Elena's larynx, choking her as the face gave her a smug, wicked smile. She knew the face well. It was her own, she was looking at herself. She shook her head in despair and suddenly that almost skeletal, alabaster hand made contact with her shoulder.

Then suddenly the darkness was gone, the nightmare scattering to the far corners of her mind as it was skewered by a sunlight so bright that it was painful. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus and dispel the disorientation, but suddenly her stomach dropped when she realised that the hand on her shoulder still lingered. Even though it was a gentle touch that had roused her, she started awake as if she was under attack and backed as far away from the hand's grip as she possibly could.

'Whoah!' exclaimed Damon, snatching his hand back from her arm and raising it in surrender. 'Simple good morning would do fine', he said dryly. Elena glanced around wildly for a second and then noticed that she was still in the car, wedging herself against the window in the corner of the back seat. Reality finally came into focus and she realised that she had been dreaming. She must have fallen asleep hours ago, genuinely this time, but even though she'd had a long rest, the endless, terrible nightmare had made sure that she remained exhausted. She relaxed and slumped back into the seat, looking sheepishly at Damon who was still twisted in the front seat from reaching back to wake her.

'Sorry', she said quietly, feeling the urge to whisper as the tense atmosphere of the car was already settling uncomfortably on her again. She remembered the aggressive, unbearable stillness from before she fell asleep and thought wryly that she had just escaped into a different kind of nightmare. She could feel Damon's eyes still on her and she cautiously lifted her own to meet them, afraid of what she might she there. However, relief surged through her when she saw none of the anger and disappointment she had expected. There was only a glimmer of concern.

'You all right?' Stefan suddenly asked stiffly from the driver's seat. Elena nodded and scrubbed a hand over her face. She felt so tired and stretched out right now, she wondered how much more it would take to make her snap completely.

'I'm fine', she replied, concentrating very hard on her lap. She couldn't meet Damon's intense gaze, not with Stefan here, it felt far too intimate and she was torn apart inside. Now that she had finally admitted her feelings for Damon, she didn't want to waste another moment of their time arguing but obviously there was no way they could talk through their problems in front of his brother. It made Elena squirm with pity for Stefan and, not for the first time, she wished fervently that there was something that she could do to make up for how she had hurt him. If only it were possible. Maybe that was why she had always been so awful at ending things or delivering any kind of bad news. She never wanted to be the bad guy. However, it didn't matter how justified she was in breaking up with Stefan or how much pain it would save him in the long run, for now she just had to reconcile herself to the fact that she was going to have to be the bad guy for him. She owed him that, she thought dejectedly. She only hoped that in time he would understand. Suddenly she felt more drained than ever and she leaned her head back against the seat.

'Why did you wake me up?' she asked miserably. 'Are we almost there?'

'Just thought you might like the view', Damon told her gently, and she lowered her head to see him nodding slightly towards the window behind her. She turned around slowly and noticed the world beyond the car for the first time. Suddenly all the dark worries and concerns that were crawling around her mind disappeared completely. They were crossing the Bay Bridge and, sure enough, the San Francisco skyline was looming up ahead, dazzling in the sunshine. A smile grew wonderingly on her face as she looked across the bay. Boats and ferries bobbed cheerfully among the waves which surged to tiny white peaks in the blue water, while the rich, green land crept round behind them, circling the bay beyond the haze. She could see the piers teeming with life and people and above the constant buzz of traffic she could hear the gulls calling to each other as they swooped overhead. The sun beat down on everything and she almost laughed when she saw it glinting on the very tip of the Transamerica Pyramid in the distance. Suddenly she was overcome with excitement, a thrilling, childish glee that was the most human emotion she had felt since she turned. In all her time alive she had barely left Mystic Falls let alone visited the West Coast and for a moment the exhilarating sense of being in such a big place made her problems feel so very far away.

'Where are we going?' she finally asked, her voice warm and completely disregarding the hostility that surrounded her.

'Well in case you hadn't realised, that's San Francisco', Damon drawled but he did not sound unkind. She heard Stefan click his tongue quietly in disapproval.

'No!' Elena shook her head, 'I mean are we going to stop somewhere? A hotel?' Her spirits were impossible to dampen now and it was starting to become infectious. Damon felt himself flood with affection at her sudden, endearing happiness. He knew it couldn't last but he wanted her to keep it for as long as she could.

'A hotel', Stefan answered while Damon was still lost in thought but he noticed that a note of indulgence had crept into his brother's voice as well.

'Which one?' Elena demanded, 'When did you decide?'

''The Sovereign'. Damon googled it while you were asleep', Stefan told her, his voice still reserved but not quite as stiff.

'That's right', Damon agreed with exaggerated smugness. ' San Francisco hotel to set up an evil lair', he paused for a moment, 'dot com.' Elena gave an unexpected snort of laughter in spite of herself. Damon loved everything about that sound and he would have said anything to get her to make it again but Stefan immediately ploughed on as though his brother hadn't spoken.

'Actually we just tried to find the most expensive and glamorous hotel in the city. If Katherine isn't staying there then she won't be far away', he observed wryly. Elena finally tore herself away from the window and faced forward in the seat again, nodding thoughtfully.

'So what's our plan?' she asked.

'How about a giant mousetrap baited with blood and Louboutins?' Damon suggested quickly as he continued to stare resolutely through the window, his voice sardonic. Elena giggled again. Damon could fell his chest become more inflated with an unfamiliar contentment with every passing second.

'We'll figure something out', Stefan talked over him again, his voice returning to the tight sound it had held before and Damon felt the tiniest twinge of guilt. 'We know some vampires in town, we'll ask around and go from there', Stefan continued. 'Let's just get to the hotel and get a night's rest before we start doing anything dramatic', he cast a sidelong glance at his brother. Damon grinned wickedly, feigning innocence and Stefan returned to directing a determined glare at the road ahead.

The crowded bustle of fisherman's wharf proved a welcome distraction from the tension in the car and Elena watched everything with eyes like saucers. The streets were thick with people dodging past trolley cars and pan handlers. A slew of stores selling a seemingly endless variety of cheap tourist shirts, sweaters and merchandise stretched off into the distance and every one seemed to be swarming with people of every nationality. Even inside the car Elena could tell that the salty ocean scent hung heavy in the air and was enriched by the mouth watering aroma of frying fish and chowder that emanated from the countless restaurants lining the waterfront. Every one of her senses was under the most wonderful assault and suddenly Mystic Falls seemed to feel so very small and far away.

At last they left the noise and hubbub behind and the car began pass through quieter, more elegant streets. When at last they pulled up in front of the hotel, Elena realised that Damon and Stefan had not been joking about glamour and expense. As she got out of the car her head strained towards the back of her neck to take in the whole stately building. Elaborate stonework arches ran along the front with a red carpet leading to a highly polished revolving door. Huge flags waved with d dignity against the intricate roof sculptures and when three bell hops scurried to their aid, Elena felt almost uncomfortable with the level of attention.

Damon immediately busied himself compelling the girl behind the front desk for their very best rooms and Elena waited awkwardly with Stefan. They were decadently flanked by two towering plants with glossy, dark green leaves and sat side by side on a red velvet love seat. Elena couldn't help but cringe at the irony. She risked a glance at him and felt guilt tear at her heart as she watched his stony face stare grimly straight ahead. She wanted to speak to him, speak to him as if he was the dear friend she regarded him as, but, in the end, she was too afraid of his potential reaction so she busied herself by admiring the marble extravagance of the hotel lobby. She smiled as the huge crystal chandelier cast shards of light across the shining floor and followed the glimmer down the sleek pillars that stood sentry around the edge of the lobby area. All of a sudden something started to prickle at the edge of her consciousness, as though something was desperately knocking and trying to get in but she didn't know how to open the door. Something about this was familiar. Something about the streak of pale green through the marbled surface of the pillars was connecting with something in her mind and she just couldn't figure out what it was.

'Stefan', she hissed, the vague, slight unease frustrating her now. He turned to look at her, his expression remaining impenetrable and she felt her stomach lurch with guilt once more. All at once she couldn't make her tongue move, she felt ridiculous troubling him with something so trifling after everything that had just happened. Embarrassment swamped her anxiety and she simply shook her head.

'No, it's nothing. Sorry', she mumbled, awkwardly, turning her gaze to the floor, profoundly glad that she could no longer blush. Stefan studied her for another moment, a hint of remorse creeping into his eyes but before he could say anything, Damon had returned. Elena snapped her head up at the sound of his footsteps and glanced nervously at his hand. He held three keycards and she felt utterly deflated. Although she had longed to see three keys when they were checking into the motel yesterday, she now had been wishing fervently for two, hoping that Damon would know that she only wanted to be with him. Inwardly she marvelled at what a difference a day could make. She caught his eye briefly, unable to mask her disappointment and he grinned slightly, flicking the key at her like a playing card into a hat. Her vampire reflexes sent her hand flying up to catch it effortlessly.

'Suites', Damon clarified as Stefan took his own keycard. 'A bit of space after the most delightful car journey I've ever been on', he smirked sarcastically. 'I think we could all use a bit of space right now', he finished, looking pointedly at Elena but there was no accusation in his eyes. They were kind and reassuring and just that one look was enough to calm her nerves and assure her that what had begun the previous night was a long way from being over. A warm glow of anticipation settled over her and she was barely aware of the brothers edging her into the elevator and then along the corridor to their rooms. Stefan's came first and he lingered on the threshold for a moment indecisively before he finally disappeared inside, leaving Elena and Damon together in the corridor. Damon continued to walk as she trailed behind him until he reached another door further along the corridor.

'You're next', he told her softly and ran the keycard swiftly through the lock until it emitted a high pitched beep. He swung the door open and stood back, holding his arm out like a gentleman for Elena to enter first. She stepped inside and the smile began to grown across her face again. The enormous, lavish room was like nowhere she had ever stayed before. She was standing in an elegant sitting area decorated in cream and dusky pink. A plush couch sat in front of a huge TV next to a table laden with fresh fruit and different kinds of water. Along the wall was an enticing mini bar, which Elena knew would be decadently expensive, and an wooden writing desk in a gorgeous antique style. Beyond the living area the space opened up into a passage that presumably led to the bedroom and bathroom and, directly in front of her, the room was edged by floor to ceiling windows through which she could already see the Golden Gate Bridge. It was absolutely perfect.

'Like it?' Damon's voice suddenly broke into the trance that she had fallen into. She spun around to face him, the smile still broad on her lips. He was leaning casually against the doorframe, not quite smug but definitely proud of himself. Her smile softened as she stepped closer to him again.

'I love it', she replied gratefully. Damon nodded, the edge of his mouth almost quirking into a smile.

'You got the best one', he raised his eyebrows.

'Yes I did', she replied firmly and stared meaningfully into his eyes. He was caught off guard slightly by her sudden intensity and cocked his head in amazement. He looked at her wordlessly for a moment before his features finally settled into his usual mask of control and he cleared his throat.

'I'm right along the hall', he finally said, backing away from the door frame. 'Next door on the left. If you need anything, you know where I am.' She felt a sudden inexplicable panic as he pulled away and she dashed forward to the doorway, her sudden movement causing him to stop in his tracks.

'Wait!' she cried, then she felt slightly lost as he watched her expectantly. She had a thousand things that she wanted to tell him. All the things that had been swirling around her head during that interminable car journey that she couldn't say in front of Stefan were now free to be spoken but she found that she couldn't articulate the growing need and passion that had awakened in her. He seemed to sense her predicament and he was sympathetic because so many of the same questions had been burning through his own head while they drove. He knew, however, that everything was still too close to see properly. He took pity on her and stepped forward, closing the distance between them. He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and left a soft kiss on her forehead.

'If I came in, it would only end the same way as it did the last time', he answered the question that she had not been able to verbalise. He ran a hand through her hair until it settled at her chin and he delicately raised her face so that she was looking directly into his eyes. 'Nothing's been ruined', he assured her tenderly. 'But you have to make this right Elena. Make this real. No more dirty little secrets.' The sincerity in his voice and the deep aching, yearning in his eyes took her breath away and she nodded mutely. He nodded when he was sure that she understood and gave her another heart melting smile before his hand settled on her cheek and pulled her into a quick chaste kiss, a brief flutter of his wonderful lips against hers. Her eyes closed as everything within her sprung to life with passion but, just as quickly as it began, his touch was gone. She opened her eyes to find herself all alone in the corridor. She felt bereft for a moment without him at her side but she quickly pulled back into the room and closed the door, leaning her back against it for a few moments while she swallowed down the pulsing desire that he had just set racing through her.

She reluctantly admitted that he was right and that, deep down, she wanted to do this the proper way as well. She wanted to be able to give that to Damon. She had tortured him for so long now that she wanted to make it up to him by giving him exactly what he needed, what he had always needed. She wanted him to know that he was her first choice. She understood now. Filled with a new resolution, she set off to explore the rest of the room and, after throwing herself full length onto the four poster, king size bed a few times with a squeal of delight, she found her way into the bathroom. One look at the complicated, multi-jet shower reminded her of how grubby she felt after the journey and soon she had stripped her clothes off and was sighing with contentment under the hot water.

She felt good, better than she had in a long time. The weight that had been lifted from her shoulders from making this decision was unbelievable. She had bounced so often between Damon and Stefan, two brothers as different as black and white. How had it taken her so long to realise that one was no better or worse than the other – they were just different. There was no logically correct answer, only what was in her heart. That's what she should have been listening to all along. Stefan was the teenage first love that had saved her from the sad loneliness following her parents' deaths and Damon was the face of reality and passion, the man who had set her free, ready to embrace the world and be whatever woman she wanted to be. Now that she had come to her decision, she couldn't believe that she had ever been unsure, how she could ever have decided to come back for Stefan that night that felt so long ago. She smiled sadly as she realised that Stefan belonged to that scared, human little girl while the woman that she had grown into in the last couple of years would be Damon's forever.

Finally she left the hot spray of water and glided back into the bedroom, swiftly towelling her hair dry and pulling on some fresh clothes. She hurried back into the living area, zipping up her sweater when she suddenly realised that there was dark figure sitting silently on the sofa. She almost jumped about out her skin and let out a screech of surprise before the figure turned around and she realised that it was Stefan.

'You should really put the chain on', he nodded towards the door dispassionately, going back to staring straight ahead. She followed his gesture towards the door and frowned at the unfastened chain lock, wrapping her arms protectively around herself. She had fully intended on heading straight to his room to see him but this invasion of her personal space had slightly wrong footed her and shattered the speech that she had been carefully formulating throughout her shower.

'How did you get in?' she asked abruptly. He shrugged.

'Compelled a maid', he replied, still gazing at the blank TV screen and not looking at her. She searched fruitlessly for something to say but she was completely unnerved now. The silence stretched on excruciatingly until finally Stefan spoke again, his body as stiff as a statue. 'Were you with him last night?' he finally asked. Elena felt her stomach drop. He had finally approached the subject head on, there were no more ways for her to avoid this. A tiny part of her was relieved but a larger part balked at what she knew would have to come now. However, she owed him the truth and she would do her best to give him that.

'Not exactly', she replied, moving closer and placing herself bravely in front of the TV, right in his line of vision. He met her eyes and they were so full of agony that it brought tears to her eyes.

'But you would have if I hadn't interrupted you', he stated bluntly. She hesitated for a moment. He had abandoned all denial now and was ready to face the cold, hard reality of the situation. She felt the unsettling sensation of being in a plane hurtling towards the ground with no way of stopping.

'Yes', she replied plainly, a tear slipping from her eye and making its way down her cheek.

'So that's it? That's the end of everything? Everything we've been through?' he asked and his mask finally cracked, all the pain and anguish flooding into his face, his voice hitching. 'None of it meant anything? You're just throwing it all away?'

'No', she cried, a sob in her voice. 'What we had meant everything to me. I could never thank you enough for all the things that you've done for me and, I don't just mean the dangerous things. I mean _all_ the times that we were together, every last one. You were the first person I ever loved Stefan. That's important', she dropped into the seat next to him and tried to clasp his hand but he pulled away with a snort of derision.

'So important that you jumped into bed with my brother, with Damon! You know what he is Elena, you know what he's capable of', he snarled.

'Yes', Elena shouted, a flash of anger bursting through her as he tried to dragged Damon's into the argument. 'He's capable of the deepest love that I've ever seen. I've never seen devotion like it. You haven't seen him the way I have, Stefan. Since I've been having Katherine's memories I've seen him at his very, very best and it's ... it's breathtaking.' Stefan pulled violently away from her and leapt to his feet, pacing angrily in front of her.

'You do remember that all those things you saw in her memories, all that love and devotion was for someone else Elena! Don't you think that somewhere deep down he still loves _her_? That Katherine will always be the one that he's waiting for', he spat. Elena reeled.

'That's was a low blow Stefan and you know it's not true', she hissed.

'I don't even know what's true anymore!' he cried. 'You said you chose _me_, you said that you loved _me_, you promised to wait before you made this decision. What happened to all of that Elena?' he pleaded, angrily rounding on her. Suddenly she was on her feet too but she had conquered the anger that had driven her previous outburst. When she spoke her voice was slow and measured, despite the tears still streaming down her cheeks.

'I know, and I am sorry', she began placatingly, edging closer to him as if he were a dangerous animal. 'But everything was so tense, everything was so life or death and I didn't have time to think', she tried to explain. 'I made a mistake, all right? Since I've become a vampire everything has just become so crystal clear, Stefan. I know that this decision is the right one. I'm so sorry.' He slumped in defeat and lapsed into silence, finally dropping back onto the chair. She stayed standing as her nerves were still shrieking too loudly for her to contemplate sitting down.

'Do you love him?' he finally asked, his voice now tiny and heartbroken, the worst sound that she could possibly have heard. 'I mean really love him?' Stefan clarified, 'I know that he loves you, has done for a long time but ... you definitely feel the same way.' She paused and finally calmed herself enough to sit beside him.

'I do', she replied seriously in a broken voice. 'I love him so much.' Stefan met her gaze with watery eyes and nodded, before wrenching himself up from the couch and heading for the door, but she was quicker than he was and he found her blocking it. 'Wait', she hissed.

'Elena get out of my way', Stefan roared and grabbed her arm, forcibly trying to yank her from the door.

'No!' she cried, grabbing his shoulders with an iron grip and spinning him so that his back thudded into the closed door. 'Not until I tell you this. You need to know Stefan. You need to know that I loved you, I would have done anything for you. Even though things aren't the same, I still care about you so much and I would still do anything to help you, just like you are doing for me right now with this trip', she looked at him pointedly and she felt the aggressive tension slipping away from him. 'I know it might not work, not at first, but I hope, I really hope that one day you can look at me and see a friend, Stefan. Because that's how I will always see you, just about the best friend that I have ever had', she finished, her bravado finally failing her and the tears beginning once again. He sighed and shrugged her hands away from his arms but he made no move to leave. Instead, he walked past her to sit back down on the couch, a picture of misery.

'I never thought it would end like this. I could feel it coming but I don't ... I don't really believe it', he exhaled shakily. He forced a small smile and looked at the ground. 'I'm surprised you stopped after I interrupted you last night. I half expected to find Damon here already', he shook his head, indicating the passage to the bedroom. Elena heaved her own sigh, embarrassment nipping at her.

'In all honesty Stefan', she began dropping into the seat next to him, 'If it was up to me he would have been. I know that's probably small consolation, but it was Damon who insisted that nothing else happen until you knew. He can't help who he loves any more that you or I can, but he's still your brother Stefan. He still loves _you_ too.' Stefan turned to look at her as if he was about to begin blustering again, but the notion left him before he even began and he simply dropped his head into his hands with a loud groan. Elena desperately wanted to put a comforting hand on his shoulder but she wasn't sure if that might just push him too far so she kept them firmly clasped in her lap and they sat in silence for another few minutes.

'What are you going to do?' she finally asked in a wary voice. He scrubbed his hands over his face and looked at her with dull eyes.

'I don't know', he shrugged. 'Once this is over, I guess I'll travel around a bit', he replied flatly.

'You won't come home?' she asked gently. He gave a huff of humourless laughter.

'To watch you and Damon live happily ever after? No, I don't think I could do that. Not right away anyway', he replied, all the anger and hostility had been drained away from him and the remaining raw honesty just made Elena want to cry all the more.

'I wish you would change your mind', she sighed, 'But I understand.'

'You knew you would never get to keep us both, not forever', he told her quietly and another sob bubbled up in her throat. 'Maybe one day I'll get to a place where I can be happy for you two. But I think it will be a long way away', he shook his head.

'We're vampires, we've got nothing but time', she replied, attempting a broken smile. He nodded sadly then she felt her heart ache even further as he got to his feet. She wanted to stop him again but she resisted. A selfish part of her wanted him to accept this decision, realise that it was all for the best and thank her for being the one brave enough to make it. She wanted him to leave happy and full of hope for the future but she realised now what a childish and unrealistic expectation that had been. He was going to be angry with her and, for a little while at least, he was probably going to hate her. She was just going to have to be strong and accept that. She followed him until he got to the door and as he opened it she made one last attempt to lighten the mood.

'You'll thank me, you know. When you meet the woman of your dreams a little way down the road', she smiled weakly. He turned to her and looked at her, his defences rising again in his eyes.

'You think so?' he asked coldly.

'Sure', she replied, 'All the girls choose Stefan', she tried to smile. He shook his head as if she had just said something utterly distasteful.

'Except you in the end', he pointed out emotionlessly. She felt herself squirm a little again and wished that she had never spoken.

'Except me', she repeated sorrowfully, trying to convey how sorry she was in those two words. He looked at her for a long time and then he shook his head in angry disbelief and disappeared at vampire speed. As soon as she knew that he was gone she hurled herself back into the room and slammed the door making very sure that she fastened the chain this time. She dropped to the couch once again and let all the tension leave her body in a heart-wrenching sob. She yanked a pillow up against her face and sobbed loudly into it for a moment until finally her head cleared and her tears dried. Slowly a soaring sense of triumph began to rise from the ashes of her desolation. It was done, the decision was made. There would be no more self doubt and guilt, no more fighting her urges and avoiding her true feelings. She was free. Free to choose who she wanted. And she wanted Damon. With every fibre of her being, she wanted Damon. All of a sudden she could not wait a moment longer. She ran to the door and wrenched it open.

At the end of the corridor, just around the corner, Stefan was waiting, his head just peeping around the wall. He was craning his neck painfully but it afforded him an uninterrupted view of Elena's room. He knew that he was torturing himself but he just had to see. He had to know exactly how long it would take her to rally herself from their conversation and throw herself into her brother's arms. For half an hour he waited in agonising silence and then, finally, he saw the handle of her door twitch and she rushed out. Unable to watch any more, he withdrew like a snake and immediately stumbled along the corridor to the elevator. He didn't know where he was going, but he just had to get away for a little while, go for a walk, maybe feed.

The elevator arrived and he darted in alongside a large man in a black and white suit. He looked like part of the hotel's security and Stefan didn't give him a second glance. He shut his eyes gratefully as the doors closed in front of him and he basked in the silence of the enclosed space. It was only after a moment that the little tingle of alert shot through him. The elevator was completely quiet but for the hum of the motors, yet there was a man beside him who he should be able to hear breathing and making a hundred other bodily noises. He should hear a heartbeat.

Stefan realised that the man was a vampire at the same time as he began to turn towards him. Stefan's mouth opened to speak but before he could make a sound, the man's arm lashed out at his neck. Something broke the skin and at once Stefan felt the unmistakable agony of vervain being forced into his system. It all happened so quickly that he had not even been able to put up a fight. The suited vampire retracted the needle and Stefan swayed for a second on his feet. He only had time for fleeting moment of painful anxiety for his brother and Elena then Stefan collapsed heavily to the floor.


	21. Chapter 21

**Eyes of the Doppelganger – Chapter 21**

**I **_**really**_** hope you like this chapter. I had it all ready to go last night when my computer suddenly decided that it couldn't be bothered saving when I hit save. So I have had to re-do half of it again which has really annoyed me because I am sure there was better stuff in the first draft that I've now forgotten! **

**Also, be warned. There may be a wee, tiny, tad bit of smut in here. Just so you know.**

**I don't own anything but the plot. This is just for fun.**

Damon had instantly collapsed onto his bed when he finally reached his room. He had stayed in so many places in so many parts of the world that there was really no more novelty for him, one hotel room was more or less the same as the next. The only reason he spared it any thought now was because of the expression that had graced Elena's face. It had been a mixture of wonder and disbelief and utter gratitude towards whatever twist of fate had landed her in such a place. He hadn't felt that sense of discovery and awe for over a hundred years but it had all come flooding back when he looked at Elena. She reminded his jaded eyes that there were still thousands of new experiences to be had, even for him.

He lay completely still on the bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to think of anything but Elena. He smiled wryly as he realised that some things never changed. She had been on his mind ever since the day he first laid eyes on her. He replayed every second of the previous night over and over in his head and, despite the fevered kisses being a particular highlight, the moment that he kept pausing on was the one in which her hands gently cradled his face as she breathed, 'I love you', for the first time. It was everything that he had ever wanted, everything he had ever hoped for. Slowly all the other memories dropped away and his head was filled with her voice. Her voice telling him that she loved him.

Finally, he wrenched himself off of the bed and made for the mini bar, grabbing a scotch and drinking it straight from the bottle. Not for the first time, he thought of going back to her room, but her pleading eyes had been hard enough to walk away from the first time. He raked his hands through his hair and was only seconds away from crumbling under the desire that was pulling him ceaselessly back towards her room. With a growl he struggled to push the thought from his mind and tossed the empty bottle angrily at the wastepaper basket. It missed and shattered against the wall in a shower of glass. He stared dully towards the broken shards, the smashing noise still ringing in his ears, when suddenly it was replaced by a different sound. Someone was knocking frantically at his door.

His head snapped up and, for a moment, he was torn with hope and apprehension. His heart rejoiced in the thought that it could be Elena on the other side but his head warned him that it could be someone altogether worse. He moved carefully towards the door and opened it a crack. Immediately he was met with Elena's wide bloodshot eyes. Her face was puffy and swollen from crying and her whole body trembled. At once his heart sank as he immediately sensed that whatever she had to tell him could not be good. It broke his heart to see her so upset and he cursed himself for being the constant cause of her misery.

He threw the door wide open and held up his hands in surrender.

'Elena', he breathed. 'Please don't cry, I'm sorry I ...' but before he could get another word out she had rushed him in a flash of vampire speed. He was thrown clear off his feet and flew through the air to land on his back on the couch, springs creaking beneath him. He was completely startled for a moment, his train of thought totally derailed. He could only watch in disbelief as she slammed the door behind her and locked it so quickly that he wouldn't have been able to see it through human eyes.

'There', she finally turned to him and he realised that despite the blotchy skin that was evidence of her recent tears, her eyes were not sad. They were blazing, alive with desire and passion and they were directed solely at him, penetrating him to his core. She had never looked at him like that before, like she wanted him; wanted him with every fibre of her being, untempered by guilt and relishing the burning need instead of fighting it. At once he understood the reason for her tear streaked face.

'You did it, you told him', he breathed in disbelief. She nodded vehemently, a hungry grin beginning to grow across her face.

'I did', she replied, then she grabbed the door handle and gave it an experimental twist. 'Now this door is locked', she confirmed when it remained shut fast. 'The only other person in town who knows we're here is probably not going to come looking for either of us for some time', she continued, her voice low and authoritative. Damon had never seen her like this, confident and unapologetic and it left him pulsing with excitement. 'So nobody, and I mean nobody is going to interrupt us this time, Damon. We've waited long enough, I don't want to wait any longer', she simmered, the sexy edge in her voice combining with the self-assured flick of her hair to drive Damon crazy. Encouraged by his look of incredulous lust she began to walk towards the couch, nearing his outstretched legs, which were still splayed over the arm where he had fallen. She reached for him slowly and deliberately, her eyes locking on his in a smouldering gaze. However, just as she was about to run her delicate fingers over his ankle, she felt a rush of air and her hand closed on nothing. The couch was empty.

She spun around in confusion and found Damon standing behind her, the door to the room held open to the outside corridor once more. Her face fell and a crippling humiliation began to pound in her ears as she looked at his stern face.

'Damon?' she asked, bewildered and hurt and when he saw her face fall, he couldn't keep the pretence up a moment longer. His serious expression melted into that smirk that made her stomach twist with glee. Like some kind of bizarre magician, he brought a hand out from behind his back and she saw something dangling on his finger which sent an overwhelming surge of relief through her. It was a 'do not disturb' sign.

'Just to be extra sure', he raised an eyebrow wickedly, then he swung it expertly onto the outer door handle and locked them in again in one fluid movement. A snort of laughter released the sudden panic that had built up in Elena and she gave him an exaggerated scowl as she advanced on him in a playful attack.

'Damon, I could kill you sometimes!' she roared, but she couldn't stop the grin that was fighting to spread across her face. She reached him and immediately thumped a tiny, ineffectual fist against his chest. 'I nearly had a heart att...', but that was as far as she got before Damon captured both fists in his hands and crossed her arms behind her, pulling her to him so that her back arched and her breasts were pushed forward against his chest. Then his mouth was on hers.

She could have broken his hold in a heartbeat but surrendering to him like this just made her whole body go up in flames and she ravenously returned his kiss, letting his tongue invade her mouth and savouring the taste. After a moment she couldn't bear another second of not touching him and she dragged her hands free of his grip and clutched his shoulders, pulling herself up to his height and meeting his kiss with even more force. She buried her fingers in his glorious hair and tugged his head towards her, never wanting to be further away from him than was absolutely necessary.

His hands slid down her back and pulled her flush against him then in a dizzy and thrilling spin, he turned them around so that she was pressed against the door and he jerked her up into the air so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. He thrust himself hard against her and they were both all too aware of the frustrating layers of clothing that separated the spots that were so desperate for attention. He pulled her away from the wall, taking all of her weight in his arms and she wrenched her mouth away from his to give a loud and breathy gasp. She stroked his face, her touch rough with lust and she looked deep into his eyes. Somehow this was the most erotic thing that she had done all night.

'I love you', he breathed, because he simply could not contain the words a second longer. Her hungry face softened slightly and she gave him a radiant smile, rubbing her nose gently against his.

'I love you too', she replied, holding his gaze to drink in the burst of joy that went off like fireworks in his eyes. Then she placed one more kiss on his lips before rearing back in his arms and tearing her shirt off, tossing it thoughtlessly to the floor. Damon felt himself grow even harder when he was suddenly faced with the smooth expanse of her skin. He walked them towards the couch and the next thing Elena knew she was falling through the air to land safely on her back on the plush cushions. With a sinful smirk Damon sat next to where she lay and propped one of her legs up on his shoulder. Teasingly slowly he undid the zip on the side of her boot and removed it, kissing her now bare ankle as he went. He then repeated the action on her other leg, drawing every movement out as long as he could and never breaking eye contact the entire time. Elena was beginning to think that she might explode from wanton anticipation and her whole body throbbed with excitement. Finally, he was finished and he let her legs drop back to the couch. He crawled achingly slowly over her body until he reached her middle where he placed hot kisses along her stomach, tasting every inch of the silky skin that ran along the waistband of her pants. When she began to moan with the intense pleasure, he stopped and gave her an infuriating grin that only made her want him more. He flicked open the button on her jeans and, in one animalistic movement, he ripped them from her body, leaving her in only her underwear, gasping and foggy with lust.

She reached for him, wanting to feel his weight on top of her and he obliged her, nuzzling her neck and kissing slowly down her chest. When he reached her breasts her bra seemed to miraculously ping away, then she realised that he had severed the material with his fangs and he gave her a filthy, unrepentant grin. He teased each breast in turn, using his tongue to manipulate her nipples in an exquisite torture. At last he continued his journey across her stomach and she felt him reaching the hot, aching spot that had been crying out for him for so long. He expertly peeled her panties away and slid them down her legs until she was no longer encumbered by them. The smell of her own arousal was overpowering and for a moment she felt embarrassed, but, from the entranced look in Damon's eyes as he leaned down towards her, she was sure that he didn't mind. In actual fact, Damon had never smelled anything so intoxicating. His head edged closer towards her bent knees and slowly his tongue danced up her thigh until he was so close that she was almost helpless with desire.

He flicked his tongue once over the exact spot where Elena craved him and she let out a desperate little whimper that made Damon shiver all over. He buried his head between her thighs and Elena steadily built towards a transcendent ecstasy like she had never felt before. Nothing had ever been like this before, not with anyone. Damon seemed to know exactly how she wanted to be touched and even the tiniest movement urged her further towards an earth shattering climax. When she finally exploded, clenching around him and screaming with wild abandon, Damon felt utterly jubilant. He drew back quickly to sit up again so that he could watch the last waves of her orgasm rippling across her face, her legs splayed and twitching over his lap. She looked utterly magnificent. He sensuously stroked the back of her calves while she lay gasping, her thoughts in total disarray. He kissed her knees gently and she groaned as her senses began to return.

Suddenly, breathing heavily, she forced herself up onto her elbows and turned her scorching eyes on Damon who still sat fully clothed next to her, his face playfully smug. Immediately she was upon him, straddling his lap and pressing him into the couch.

'Too many clothes', she hissed and in seconds she had torn his shirt open and was raking her hands up and down his chest, loving the strong, masculine feel of his muscles. He threw his head back and moaned, wishing that she would start on his pants soon because he was straining so hard against them that it was becoming painful. She pulled him up towards her and began to shower his face with sweet, loving kisses, tasting herself on his skin, while she yanked the shirt off his arms and threw it over her shoulder. Damon groaned and wriggled excitedly as her kisses dropped lower and he cried out in pleasure when she mischievously caught his nipple in her teeth. Then she edged back on his lap until she slid off completely, slowly descending to her knees on the floor between his legs, her body still propped up over his stomach. That was the point at which Damon truly began to lose control. She traced the lines of his stomach with her tongue and slid lower until she reached his belt and impishly ran her fingers around the edges as he had done with her.

'Elena', he gasped, 'You are going to be the death of me.' She grinned and rose up on her knees towards his face again, pressing her lips teasingly to his.

'Well you're already dead, so I guess there's nothing to worry about', she nipped at his lower lip and without waiting for his reaction, she yanked off his belt and tore his fly open in one flick of her arm. She sunk back onto her haunches on the floor and wrestled the jeans and black boxer shorts off his legs as one until, finally, he was naked.

He looked down at her, kneeling at his feet with a nervous yet naughty smile and he had to restrain himself from grabbing her and driving himself into her right there on the floor. She ran her hands slowly up his legs and over his hips, bypassing the hard, aching place that needed her. She considered her next action carefully for a second, she was not very experienced but Damon's utter captivation with her made her feel bold and confident and she desperately wanted to give him something wonderful. After only a brief hesitation, she held his eyes meaningfully and gave a devilish smile as she slowly lowered her head and took him into her mouth. Even though he had watched her descent as if in slow motion, he had somehow still not believed that she would actually wrap her tight, full lips around him and when she did his bran emptied entirely. All that was left was the maddening sensation of her tongue gliding up and down his length and swirling deliciously around the tip. He could not even form a coherent thought, it was all too incredible to be true. He lost himself in her as she continued her firm strokes up and down, her hand idly skimming his hip bones, until it was almost too much. With a herculean effort he fought his way back to lucidity. As much as he was enjoying this, he didn't want it to finish this way on their first time. He wanted to be able to hold her close and look into her eyes as they finally came together.

With this thought in his mind, he reached down and gently stroked her hair, encouraging her to lift her face to look at him. Before she had a chance to be upset, he grasped her shoulders and guided her urgently up towards him. She sprung from her knees and followed his lead, her skin slithering electrifyingly against his until she was straddling him again.

'I need you ...' he gasped brokenly, his voice languid and so sexy in her ear that she understood his actions were no critique of her technique. 'I need you all around me', he finished, feverishly kissing her neck and face before finally pulling back to look into her eyes. She was already thrumming with need again and eager to finally be one with Damon. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle as she sunk helplessly into them. They silently sought her permission and through the thick haze of lust that surrounded them, she managed to nod her head, a dazed smile on her face. Gently he seized her hips and raised her up slightly before she took the initiative and eased herself slowly down onto him. A guttural moan escaped each of them and their eyes locked. Damon looked amazed, heartbroken and shattered with bliss all at once and Elena's heart swelled with the most intense, pure love that she had ever experienced. After a second of shock where nothing existed but the cerulean world of his eyes, Damon's fingers tightened on her flesh and urged her into a slow, fulfilling rhythm.

Elena, rode him steadily, a relentless heat building between her legs and her whole body began to feel in synch with Damon. Their gasping breaths came as one and their little groans and mewls of pleasure began to echo one another. Gradually their pace increased, the desperate need within them growing as they slammed uncontrollably into each other. Damon's arm snaked firmly around her and he forced her recklessly down onto her back, falling on top of her and filling her up with a shatteringly gratifying force over and over again. He felt his desire coiling violently in his stomach and then suddenly his climax hit him in devastating waves as he drove her into the cushions with each wild, uncontrollable thrust. The sight of him crying out and beginning to shudder in ecstasy was enough to drive Elena over the edge and she too came apart around him with a growl of satisfaction, clasping his shoulders frantically.

They stayed joined for a moment, staring at each other and gasping for breath that they no longer needed. Damon looked as though all those years of hatred and despair had been wiped away. She thought warmly that it could have been his human face that lingered over her and she reached up to trace her fingertip along his perfect mouth. He jokingly bit at it and then a grunt of almost drunken laughter escaped him. He finally rolled off her and collapsed onto his back beside her on the couch. They were silent for a long time, hardly able to believe what had just happened but somehow, deep inside, both of them felt like a part of themselves that had been missing for as long as they could remember was finally complete.

At last Damon turned onto his side and threw an arm lazily across her stomach, drawing his finger in loose patterns up and down her arm. The smile he gave her was almost shy and Elena was utterly overcome with how much she loved him. Her hand reached up to comb through his now unruly hair and she basked in his loving gaze. Her chest heaved in a happy, languorous sigh.

'That was amazing', she finally whispered, gently stroking his cheek. Swiftly that devilish, exciting smirk spread across his face and he forced a pout, clicking his tongue reprovingly.

'Oh honey', he drawled sarcastically, shaking his head as if he was talking to a naive child. 'You thought that was _it_?' he raised an eyebrow deviously. She immediately began to giggle uncontrollably as he leapt to his feet and swept her up into his arms. 'That was just the appetiser', he grinned wickedly and with no further hesitation, he carried her off towards the bedroom.

When Damon awoke the next morning, he was exhausted, sore all over and suffused with a happiness that seemed to saturate every cell of his body. The notion flitted through his head that the previous night had all been a dream and he reached his arm across the bed to pull Elena to him, reassuring himself of her presence, but all his hand closed on was bedsheets. His eyes flew open and he realised that he was alone in the bed. He shot into a sitting position and looked around the room but Elena was nowhere to be seen. Worry grew in the pit of his stomach and he groped for his bag, finding some underwear and pulling them on. He hurriedly padded through to the living area and immediately he saw Elena sitting on the floor by the window, her back against the wall and her head leaning on the glass. She had wrapped a spare sheet around her and clutched it tightly about her shoulders. She looked up from beneath the sexy tangle of her hair and her face lit up, quelling any worry that was gnawing at him.

'Hey', he smiled, suddenly feeling silly for ever doubting her. 'What are you doing?' She shook her head, looking slightly embarrassed.

'Nothing', she replied sheepishly, 'I just ... I've never seen the Golden Gate Bridge before', she admitted turning back to the picture postcard view beyond the window. He felt a rush of tenderness but he was slowly becoming aware of that deathly pallor that had crept back into her cheeks and the lethargy in her voice.

'Do you want some blood?' he asked softly. She nodded wearily, relieved that he had offered before she had to ask. He quickly retrieved a bag from the cooler that he had safely stowed in the bottom of a wardrobe and poured two glasses. He stopped by the mini bar and rummaged inside looking for some more scotch, just in case. Elena watched him contentedly almost able to ignore the persistent burning at the back of her throat. There was a curious and deep-seated satisfaction in seeing him happy. She noticed how much more carefree his every action had suddenly become and her heart was brimming with affection. Suddenly he emerged from plundering the mini bar with a mischievous grin.

'Candy?' he asked, tossing a bag at her. She caught it effortlessly and returned his smile.

'Damon this probably costs about fifty dollars', she joked, shaking her head. Damon shrugged dismissively as he walked towards her and handed her one of the glasses of blood.

'I'm not above compelling someone for M&Ms, just eat them', he quipped. She giggled and took a long gulp from the glass. Immediately she began to feel better. Her headache was now so constant that she was starting to get used to it, but it was still a relief to feel it ease a little and the demands of her thirst being quenched to a low, manageable rumble. Damon sat down, leaning against the wall opposite her, their feet almost touching and he watched her as she stared out of the window.

'This is beautiful', she mused presently as the sun sparkled on the waters of the bay. Damon would never really have given it much thought probably but, when his attention was drawn to it by Elena's young eyes, he had to agree. 'I've never really been out of Mystic Falls before', she told him quietly. 'I never really gave any thought to how much of the world I was missing', she sighed. Damon smiled.

'You've got plenty of time to see it all, Elena. After this is all over we can go. We can go together, anywhere you want.' She finally tore her gaze away from the window and turned to him, delight painted across her face.

'Really?' she asked incredulously.

'Anywhere you want to go, just name it', he nodded emphatically. She grinned as the prospect worked its way temptingly through her mind.

'Paris?' she blurted out her first suggestion.

'Mais oui!' Damon agreed in a ridiculously exaggerated French accent. 'Excellent suggestion. As long as you don't mind the garlic!' he continued in a stage whisper. A giggle exploded uncontrollably out of her as she warmed to this new game.

'New York?' she exclaimed excitedly.

'You want to take a bite out of the big apple? No problem', Damon waved his arm dismissively, an expansive grin growing across his face. She laughed and her mind hastily began to dance around the globe.

'London?' she hissed, her eyes alight with mirth.

'Very stylish', Damon nodded. 'I can show you the real meaning of having royal blood', he wiggled his eyebrows villainously as she snorted with laughter. Then her face calmed and her features softened into an utterly winning smile.

'Venice', she made her last proposal, dropping her voice and trying hard to achieve the dark, velvety tone that _he_ normally used. It was not lost on him and she was pleased with herself as she saw the hunger spark in his eyes.

'Ooh, sexy', he approved her choice, his voice like melted chocolate, then his face dissolved into a smirk. 'I doubt we'd make it out of the bedroom there', he added wickedly, 'not judging by last night.'

'Damon!' she giggled, hiding behind her fingers in embarrassment. He laughed at her reaction and opened his arms to her. She shook her head good-naturedly and scrambled across the floor to snuggle into his waiting embrace, twisting around so that she had her back against him and could still look out of the window. He wrapped his arms around her and settled his head on her shoulder, his lips brushing her ear. He held her tight and sighed contentedly.

'I mean it', he told her softly. 'I'll go anywhere as long as you're there. I _want_ to show you the world, Elena. You'll love it, I promise', he murmured into her hair. Elena's happiness threatened to overflow and she craned her head around to kiss him softly and lazily. Damon stroked her hair and smiled down at her. 'Hey', he started suddenly, 'what do you say we start now and go out for some breakfast? I doubt my brother will be looking for us for a few hours yet?' Damon's suggestion suddenly sounded like a great idea. Now that she had taken some blood she was feeling much more robust and perhaps some clandestine pancakes with Damon were just what she needed.

'Sure', she agreed, kissing him quickly. 'I can't go like this though', she grinned, pulling the sheets tighter around her. Damon got up, pulling her to her feet and raked his eyes up and down her body, barely concealed beneath the thin sheets.

'Well, if I had my choice...' he began with a smirk, but she interrupted him with an exaggerated exclamation of outrage and swatted him away.

'I'm just going to go back to my room to change, I'll be quick', she promised, heading for the door and scooping up her ruined clothes from the night before.

'You'd better be', Damon growled, moving in on her and enfolding her in his arms, kissing her deeply. When at last she broke away her lips were adorably swollen and her eyes slightly dazed.

'Fifteen minutes', she assured him and after one more brief kiss she opened the door and glanced furtively up and down the corridor to make sure the coast was clear.

'Wait!' he called suddenly, grabbing the back of her sheet and propelling her back towards him.

'Damon!' she gasped in a hushed voice, clutching more tightly to the one thing separating her from nudity, but she was still giggling.

'Here, you had better take one of these', he told her and produced a key card to his room. She nodded, but before she could take it he planted it firmly in her cleavage with a devilish grin.

'Damon, I will ...' she started to threaten him playfully but he made an overblown gesture of putting his finger to his lips.

'You don't want to wake the hotel guests do you?' he teased and she continued to stifle her laughter as he tickled her and pretended to snatch her sheet away before she finally made her escape and scampered along the corridor. He watched as she reached her door and felt his heart swell to the point of bursting when she paused on the threshold and gave him one last soulful look before she disappeared inside.

Damon quickly drew back into his room and closed the door, thumping his fists on the back of it in a celebratory gesture that was impossible to restrain. He took a long stretch, arching his back decadently and let out a groan of the most wonderful exhaustion. He couldn't remember ever feeling so alive with happiness, not in life or death. For the first time in over a hundred years, he was actually looking forward to tomorrow. He was so unaccustomed to the emotion that he had to stop for a moment and let his mind boggle at the enormity of it. He made his way towards the bathroom, a smile sneaking across his face every time he thought of the previous night and reminded himself that it was all real. Last night had been incredible, hot and intense and draining in the very best way. As he turned on the shower he felt himself stirring again at the memory of her lithe, smooth body draped over his, her hair feathering his face and filling him with blissful contentment.

He made quick work of showering and by the time he had dressed and headed back towards the living area, Elena had already returned and was standing once again at the window. She turned to face him with a smile.

'Hi', she looked up shyly from under her lashes.

'That was quick', he grinned. 'If that's all the time you take to get ready then this just gets better and better', he raised an eyebrow. She laughed and held out her hand, inviting him to join her. It was not an invitation that needed to be extended twice. She looked ravishing. She was dressed all in black, just like him, and her tight top showed a generous amount of cleavage. Her face was clean and sweet and she had swept her hair to the side with a cute silver pin. 'You look pretty fancy for breakfast', he observed, eyeing her ravenously as he moved in behind her and secured his arms around her. He intuitively suspected that the outfit was all for him, she wanted to look nice for him and he felt ridiculously flattered.

'You don't like it?' she gave an overblown pout.

'Oh I like it', he assured her quickly, nuzzling into her throat, his lips brushing her shoulder. 'It's just that you might end up _being_ breakfast instead of eating it', he breathed into her neck as he continued to leave sizzling, open mouthed kisses across her skin. She groaned happily and leaned into him.

'Damon', she finally sighed, 'we can't do this forever'. He sighed and pulled away, turning her around in his arms and clasping his hands behind her back.

'Why not?' he stuck out his bottom lip, resting his forehead against hers. She laughed and shook her head exasperatedly.

'Because we still have bigger problems', she told him ruefully. 'We still don't know why my mind keeps wandering off into Katherine's memories and we haven't even begun to talk about Klaus', she fretted, looking up at him. Damon suddenly frowned, taken aback and stepped away from her.

'Klaus?' he repeated, moving to the couch and sitting down, his eyes clouded. In actual fact he had been thinking about Klaus, a lot. Between the fire, the hospital and last night's episode they had not really had time to dwell on it but it had been the first thing his brain had started mulling over when the silence fell on that tortuous car journey. He knew that Stefan's thoughts would also be circling the same topic. Stefan knew Klaus to well to take the possibility of his survival lightly. But since Elena had never raised the subject again they had both come to a tacit, subconscious agreement to keep their concerns quiet. Neither of them had wanted to worry her any further.

'What if Katherine was right?' Elena continued anxiously. 'What if he's still around? We could all be in even more danger than we realise.'

'She's not and he's not', Damon turned to her cautiously, trying to sound reassuring. 'We took care of Klaus, remember? He's dead. You don't need to worry about him.' Damon was lying. He didn't want to ruin the buoyant contentment they had been floating on and he hated to see her brow crease in worry like this but the words tasted wrong on his tongue. Elena immediately cocked her head to one side admonishingly.

'Then why are you and Stefan still alive?' she hissed in a warning tone. 'I thought we said no more secrets Damon. I thought we were past all that, especially after last night.' He groaned and dropped his head back on the couch.

'I'm not keeping secrets, Elena, I promise', he exclaimed exasperatedly then he turned and motioned invitingly to her from where he sat. She watched him for a moment, her arms folded defensively across her chest then her face softened into weary acceptance and she approached him, taking his hand and letting him draw her down into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, looking her squarely in the eye. 'I know as much about Klaus as you do', he admitted sincerely. 'Maybe he's alive and maybe he's dead but he hasn't made any move on us yet so I can only tell you that we're safe for now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it', he reasoned, soothingly stroking her hair and then he took her face in his hands to ensure that he had her full attention. 'To be honest, I don't care either way', he continued. 'All I care about is getting that beautiful head of yours sorted out and being free of _her_. Then you and I can ... concentrate on being together.' His thumb brushed over her cheek as he struggled with the unfamiliarity of the words. Those large brown pools flickered from his lips up to his eyes. 'Isn't that what you want?' he asked softly. A smile slowly grew on her face and she nodded. He filled with relief and gladly pulled her close to kiss her again. She responded warmly and soon her lips travelled across his cheek bone and began to nibble gently at his ear lobe. He was just beginning to drown under her touch when suddenly her voice piped up again.

'But Damon, what if he's been watching us? What if he followed us here?' she whined anxiously. Damon exhaled vigorously, allowing his arms to drop from her, concern starting to creep up his spine.

'He didn't!' Damon assured her sharply.

'But how do you know?' she pressed, pulling back and gazing at him, her face twisted with worry, an expression that seemed to cause him physical pain.

'Because I checked, okay?' he blurted out heatedly. Elena looked taken aback and he felt guilty for getting riled, he just couldn't bear to see those beautiful eyes troubled. He gently took a hold of her shoulders and held her at arm's length. 'Look, I remembered everything that you said about Klaus and I was watching the road like a hawk the night we left', he reluctantly admitted. Elena's face relaxed with relief. 'I'm sure he wouldn't admit it but I know that Stefan's mind was working along the same lines and he was watching too. Believe me, between us we would have caught anyone trying to follow us from Mystic Falls', he assured her. He watched her for a moment, making sure this had sunk in. 'Now you're starting to scare me a little Elena. Why the sudden interest in Klaus? What is all this about?' he cajoled her uneasily. She stared at him for a moment, her eyes searching and then there was a brief flash of what could almost have been amusement in her face.

'You really don't know anything about it, do you?' she breathed, her voice now calm and steady. Damon sagged with relief.

'No', he agreed, tightening his hold on her again and pulling her close. 'But I'll tell you what I do know about ...' he trailed off, his voice rumbling against her ear as he began to run his finger teasingly around the neckline of her top, straying dangerously close to her breasts. She lifted her head and looked at him with lively eyes, a sense of indecision racing through her expression, then Damon saw a resolution in her face and she swooped forward to kiss him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened and Damon gratefully met her tongue with his own. He tipped her from his lap onto the couch, coming down on top of her and urgently grinding against her. She let out a little moan of pleasure and Damon felt a smile quirk at his lips. Until he heard another sound. It was the most blood chilling, heart stopping sound he could possibly have heard. It was his name and it had been spoken with horror. But the noise had not come from beneath him. He snapped his head up and looked towards the direction of the voice. There, standing by the door, was Elena. Elena in her familiar jeans and mauve sweater, her eyes wide with shock and devastation, the keycard he had given her still in her hand. He could never mistake that look, it was so human, still full of the vulnerability that had not yet been completely leached out of her since her transition. This was definitely Elena. His face was a picture of confusion and he began to shake his head wordlessly, then he heard the dark giggle from underneath him and understanding came crashing down. He flew from the couch at vampire speed to stand next to Elena, his body tensed defensively and his face apoplectic with rage. A sideways glance at her expression told him that she had just come to the same realisation.

'Katherine!' he hissed, his voice aflame with hatred.

Katherine sat up sat up slowly on the couch and leaned over the back of the seat, her arms stretching nonchalantly along the cushions. The resemblance really was incredible. Now that Elena was a vampire too there was literally no way to tell them apart.

'Oops, busted', she drawled deviously, then she turned her waspish, malevolent glare on Elena and purred, 'looks like I've got some shiny new memories too.'


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

**Sorry guys, I know I'm late! Struggling for writing time just now but I'm getting there. I hope you enjoy! **

**I don't own anything except the plot.**

Elena's eyes widened impossibly as she stared at her doppelganger, finally face to face. Her mind was reeling and she was rendered utterly speechless by what she had just seen. She knew that Katherine's sudden and typically flamboyant arrival could mean any number of things, most of them deadly. Elena also knew that if Katherine had been able to wander through her own mind like she had hers then that could be even deadlier. Yet somehow, despite all the more far ranging implications, all Elena could concentrate on was the sight of Katherine and Damon lying in heaving tangle, kissing passionately and clutching at each other with a sizzling urgency. She felt her stomach drop and her head grow dizzy and faint as Stefan's voice hissed smugly in her ears. _'Don't you think that somewhere deep down he still loves her? That Katherine will always be the one that he's waiting for...' _She began to feel herself sway on her feet a little when suddenly Katherine's voice continued, cutting through her confusion like a dagger.

'Some pretty racy memories in there too', she smirked, tossing her hair as she rose from the couch. 'I didn't think you had it in you.' Elena mutely felt her heart crack as she remembered the previous night. She had thought that this time it was only her and Damon. She had been looking through her own eyes with nobody else's emotions clouding her view for the first time and it had been truly mindblowing. To know that Katherine had a front row seat for some of the most special moments of her life left Elena simply devastated and a deep seated, insecure part of her brain was already spreading the poisonous suspicion that perhaps it was not only _her_ mind that Katherine had been on, but maybe Damon's too. The last thing she wanted to do was to show any weakness in front of the gloating, mirror-image face before her and she was gripped by panic as tears pricked the back of her eyes.

Luckily, before any had a chance to fall, she felt a hand grasp her own tightly, eliciting a gasp of surprise that felt like it came from the very depths of her lungs. She snapped her head away from Katherine for the first time and saw Damon. His face was set in a rictus of fury and Elena could almost feel the anger and hatred radiating from him in waves. She had never seen him so frightening before and somehow this lifted her heart a little. _He_ had not given Katherine the benefit of any doubt and his eyes were still closely trained on her, as if she was a snake about to strike. But, when he spoke, Elena knew that his words were for her.

'I thought she was you', he stated in a quiet, calm voice, squeezing her hand beseechingly. 'Please tell me you know that I thought she was you', he begged her. Katherine's giggle cut though his words like ice.

'Oh come on', Katherine pouted playfully. 'It was just like old times, don't pretend you didn't enjoy it', she gloated. Elena felt a stab of jealous anger but Damon merely tightened his hold on her hand and gave an exaggerated groan.

'I need some mouthwash', he sighed despairingly to the ceiling.

'Ouch', she raised her eyebrows smugly, turning to Elena. 'Never mind, now that you're a vampire, it's really getting too easy anyway.'

'Then maybe it's time to put that particular trick back in your box, Pandora', Damon replied through clenched teeth. He pulled Elena a little closer and towed her edgily in a circle around Katherine, reflecting her movements exactly and keeping her as far from them as possible. Katherine chuckled as she casually prowled around the room, inspecting various items with calculated indifference.

'I would, but it's just so much fun. I could hardly wait to sneak in here once I'd seen you scurry off in a pile of sheets on your walk of shame this morning', she grinned at Elena as she reached the window and peeked outside. She gave a huff of laughter and finally turned her full attention back on them. 'And look', she continued merrily, 'the view is even nicer when I'm not looking at it through the cloud of your teenage angst.' Elena felt her stomach constrict and she wondered exactly how much Katherine had seen. All the while that she had been visiting Katherine's memories, she never thought for a second about how it would feel to have it happen in return. She felt exposed and vulnerable and almost like Katherine had stolen those precious private moments away from her, like they weren't really hers if they had been shared by someone else.

She opened her mouth as if to say something and then stopped, not entirely convinced that her voice wouldn't shake and she felt Damon urge her closer to his side.

'Katherine enough!' he barked. 'We don't need any more of your games!' Elena watched his face grow more strained throughout his verbal attack. She was grateful for his unwavering strength and, in truth, she felt like she would have collapsed to the carpet by now in floods of tears if it hadn't been for his strong, supporting hand on her arm. But despite this, something felt strange about his touch. Standing in front of Katherine, united like this was oddly competitive and Elena felt uncomfortably isolated from Damon in her doppelganger's presence, even though only a few short hours ago their bodies and souls could barely be separated. It was awkward and unpleasant and she wished that she could make herself believe that the kiss she had just witnessed and the unbreakable glare that Damon directed at Katherine along with the tension in his body were all just accidental. A defensive response to her manipulations. A sly smile spread across Katherine's face.

'We?' she asked condescendingly. 'It's 'we' already?' she gave him a look of mock sympathy. 'Oh my sweet, innocent Damon. Did you finally get the girl? You don't think she's going to have another attack of conscience and go running off to find your brother, do you? I mean that doesn't sound like something she'd do ...' Katherine trailed off, her voice a parody of deep thought. 'Oh wait, it does doesn't it?' she continued sarcastically, her face a pantomime of having just come to a startling realisation. She grinned with satisfaction as Damon's whole body exploded towards her, but he only managed a step before he forced himself into stillness, mostly thanks to Elena's tiny hand grabbing his own with every ounce of strength she could muster. He turned to look at her and he saw the distress and confusion in her face. She shook her head and her eyes pleaded with him to ignore Katherine's wicked accusations. She was baiting him, deliberately trying to get him to lose his temper. It briefly crossed Elena's mind that it was impressive how easily and quickly Katherine could puppeteer their emotions to her own ends. This morning she and Damon had been lost in bliss, now she knew that there was just the tiniest flicker of doubt in both their eyes. Damon wrenched his attention back to Katherine, his eyebrows knitting into the most fearsome glower that she had ever seen.

'It isn't going to work, Katherine. I love her, you know I do. Now no more games, just tell us how you found us and what you want?' Damon growled in a low, dangerous voice. The look of superior amusement on Katherine's face mixed with disbelief for a second and then she threw her head back and laughed uproariously. The sound chilled Elena to the bone and she felt her mind grow foggier with fear.

'How I found you?' she repeated gleefully. 'Damon, I've been _waiting_ for you. And as for what I want...', she pouted theatrically, approaching them with a predatory confidence until she was almost nose to nose with Damon, taking advantage of the shock that kept him rooted to the spot. '...You've already given me that', she finished maliciously, her fingers walking up his chest. Suddenly he gave an animalistic roar of confused rage and Elena gasped as he seized her and dragged her at vampire speed to the other side of the room, putting distance between them and Katherine once again.

'You're still playing, Katherine', he snapped, in a heated, sing song voice.

'I'll always be playing', she replied with cheerful malevolence. 'It's not my fault if you can't keep up.'

'What are you talking about Katherine? What's your angle this time?' he hissed. She laughed, but it was a darker, more dangerous sound now.

'My angle, Damon, as always, is me', Katherine replied in a low voice. 'I needed to know if you knew anything about Klaus, if you'd seen him. I knew I could never be sure of you telling _me_ the truth but you were never going to lie to your damsel in distress, were you?' she nodded towards her doppelganger. Damon exchanged a perplexed glance with Elena.

'Klaus? Klaus is dead. He's daggered', Damon told her flatly. Katherine cocked her head with a belittling smile.

'Is he?' Katherine raised her eyebrows. 'Then why is your little werewolf friend suddenly speaking with a strange new accent?' Damon and Elena felt an almost physical convulsion of shock.

'Werewolf friend?' Elena's voice suddenly whispered, surprising Damon even further and making Katherine's eyes dance with delight that her doppelganger had finally decided to join the conversation. 'You mean Tyler?'

'Maybe you are more than just a devastatingly pretty face', Katherine smirked but Elena was already shaking her head.

'That can't be', she replied, her curiosity almost overcoming her fear. 'Tyler's dead', she finished flatly.

'Not too dead to be getting busy in the woods with that little blonde vampire apparently', Katherine smirked. _Caroline_. Elena's world was turning around on its head. She looked at Damon and they simultaneously came to the conclusion that they had been so wrapped up in Elena's problems since her transition that perhaps there had been a lot going on that they had missed.

'How did you know that?' Elena breathed, her voice stronger now. She remembered Caroline's furtive behaviour, frequent disappearances and that sudden happy look that replaced her grief shortly after Tyler's death. Everything that Katherine was saying seemed to ring true and Elena cursed herself for being too wrapped up in her own problems to even notice those of her friends until it was too late. Klaus was alive in Tyler's body ... and Caroline had known.

'As long as I knew Klaus was in Mystic Falls, I made sure I had a few pairs of eyes kept peeled for him. Easiest way to stay one step ahead', Katherine finished wryly, then she slowly watched this information sink in and sensed their defences dropping. 'Look', Katherine went on, a new found sincerity in her voice. 'I don't know what Klaus's plan is. As far as I can tell he hijacked Tyler's body, possessed it so that he wasn't stuck in a useless, daggered body. I don't know how weakened he is, my eyes don't see everything, but we all know Klaus. If there's a way for him to get back then he will. And I doubt he'll be willing to let bygones be bygones just like that.' She paused again and watched them digest this new information, stunned. 'I know you need help', she pressed on, 'I know what you are going through. Maybe we can help each other?' she suggested, holding out a reconciliatory hand. Elena paused for a long moment, then finally nodded and started to take a step forward but Damon thrust out an arm to keep her back.

'I'd maybe wait a little longer before you unbolt the chicken coop and let the wolf in', he smirked, his eyes locked firmly on Katherine. 'We've seen the remorseful little vampire act a few times before, don't you remember?' Katherine grimaced and dropped her hand, immediately tensing up.

'Damon I am trying to help', she cried heatedly. 'Look at her', she pointed to Elena, 'she can't keep going like this. I _can_ help.'

'You can?' Elena found herself asking, the question bursting forth before she could stop it.

'Yes', Katherine nodded. 'I have a witch that can close the link. It's just a small ritual and then you'll be fine', she promised. All of a sudden Elena felt her heart soar as she imagined an end to the headaches, the soul sapping lethargy and, most importantly, the horrifying trips through Katherine's personal reflections. It was all she needed to be able to break away from the horror of her transition and begin a new life with Damon.

'Really?' Elena's disbelief found a voice suddenly, however she was distracted by Damon shaking his head and giving a grunt of laughter.

'She's telling you what you want to hear', he said evenly, a smirk of his own growing on his face. 'She still wants something, otherwise she wouldn't still be here', he taunted her dangerously. Katherine gave an agitated sigh.

'I have been around for centuries', she stated firmly. 'I can't begin to imagine how many memories I have floating around up here', she tapped her head. 'But I do know that every one your girlfriend wanders into, is another one filling her mind to the point of bursting. She can only take so much, Damon, before she snaps.'

'So that's why you're here? To help us?' he challenged her aggressively.

'Yes!' Katherine nodded vehemently.

'Don't buy it', Damon told Elena, without removing his eyes from Katherine. 'I've seen this all before. The big entrance to throw us off guard, the cryptic comments to keep us guessing and then reeling out just enough information to get us to trust her before – BAM! We get to the crux of what she really wants.'

'And what is that, Damon?' Katherine sked exasperatedly. 'I just want to help.'

'So that's why you broke in here pretending to be Elena and steaming up the windows with me? Or could you just not control yourself', he shot back at her. Elena flinched and Damon had to strive to pretend that he hadn't noticed. 'Elena might be the one inside your head but I know you, Katherine. You've never helped anyone without there being something in it for you', he grinned deviously. Katherine bristled with anger for a moment and then slowly her eyes flashed and her expression melted into a dark, wicked smile.

'You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?' she purred. 'You'd like to think that after all these years I could still want you.' The smile was wiped clean off Damon's face and Elena felt him tense up as fury pulsed through him again. Katherine then turned to Elena with a snort of derision. 'I saw what you two got up to last night', she told her scornfully. 'And believe me, that was tame compared to what we used to do.' Elena's eyes widened at her words and her stomach sank, the buzzing was returning to her head and she felt an overwhelming wave of nausea.

'Stop it', Damon snapped savagely.

'There were times when you were almost more of a monster than I was', she winked at Damon. 'Do you remember how you used to like it in places where we could easily have been caught?'

'Stop it!' Damon repeated, a volcanic rage beginning to erupt. Elena felt her eyes swimming with tears once again.

'We nearly did on one occasion, in the orchard I remember', Katherine continued relentlessly. 'We were against a tree and I was almost sorry that I healed so quickly that I didn't get to see the scratches you left on my back', her eyes glinted.

'I said enough!' Damon roared and before Elena had realised that his hand was gone from her own, he launched himself across the room at vampire speed and collided with Katherine like a missile. He grabbed her by the throat and slammed her down against the table with bone jarring force. Elena let out a small strangled sob as she saw Damon standing over Katherine, who was bent backwards at the waist over the table and pinned to the wood by his vice like grip on her neck.

'Stop!' Elena cried, aware that Damon's rage was so intense that he may kill Katherine and any hope of ending this curse before he was able to think clearly again. But Katherine did not look perturbed. In fact she was laughing through his choking hold. Damon looked down at her, hair pooled around her head and her elegant neck close to snapping beneath his fingers.

'You don't have any hold over me, Katherine!' he exploded violently. 'You saw to that', he continued, leaning down over her until his words cast flecks of spit across her cheek. 'I don't want you _anymore'_, he finished, his fangs protruding and his eyes red, all his focus directed on her face. Katherine's eyes narrowed with malice.

'Maybe', she gasped hoarsely, 'But you're still _very_ predictable.' And with that she produced a little dart of vervain from her pocket and in a move that looked fast even to Elena's vampire eyes, she drove it viciously into Damon's neck. He gave an incoherent shout of pain and rage as the vervain entered his system and he staggered back from Katherine, his face livid. Katherine sat up on the table rubbing her neck and coughing a little to clear her throat. She watched Damon clutch desperately at the wound before he sank to his knees on the carpet. He made one last desperate swipe at Katherine but she easily stepped out of his reach, then he collapsed to the floor, completely paralysed. Katherine proceeded to add insult to injury by stalking around his incapacitated body and looking down at him contemptuously. 'Predictable _and_ gullible', she mused wickedly.

Elena let out a scream as Damon fell, barely able to comprehend what she was seeing. Her whole body burned with pain and her brain felt as if it may burst from the overwhelming enormity of what was happening. But nothing, nothing in all her life had ever hurt as much as seeing Damon crumple helplessly to the floor. In a moment where time seemed to stop, her heart felt like it shattered in her chest and the horror of seeing the life abandoning his body was so strong that her knees almost buckled on the spot.

'No!' she sobbed and attempted to dive to his side but Katherine's head suddenly snapped up and she stopped in her tracks, frozen almost as effectively as Damon, in her doppelganger's devious glare.

'Now don't be so dramatic', Katherine cooed with a cunning smile. 'It was only vervain, it'll wear off', she continued, stepping over his lifeless form. 'Although, by then he might wish it hadn't', she continued gleefully. Elena used all the energy that she had left to back shakily away from Katherine as she steadily advanced on her. Elena's eyed widened with fear, her whole body trembling as the backs of her knees hit the arm of the couch leaving her no place else to run.

'Why?' Elena whispered. 'Why are you doing this? Is it about Klaus?'

'Of course!' Katherine snapped, her face now dark and dangerously angry. 'It's always been about Klaus. Do you know how long I have been running from him? Do you know what it's like to be constantly moving, constantly watching your back for centuries?' she demanded, coming face to face with Elena, so close that she could almost feel the rage bubbling under Katherine's skin. 'Oh you don't know how big a favour you and your friends did when you tried to kill him', Katherine's expression dissolved into a malicious smile. 'Now there are at least three people in the world that he would _love_ to get his hands on more than me. After potentially winding up at the bottom of the Atlantic for the rest of his days, I'm sure Klaus would be willing to do anything to get his hands on you', she smiled. She lifted her arm to move a stray lock of hair from Elena's face and made her body quiver even more visibly with disgust. 'Even come to a truce with me', she finished.

'That's your plan?' Elena breathed shakily, desperately struggling to conceal exactly how weak she was quickly becoming. 'You're going to hand us over to Klaus to save your own skin, to get him to stop chasing you?'

'Absolutely', she grinned, whirling away from Elena and prowling around Damon's lifeless body once more while she spoke. 'I have to admit that I wasn't expecting the extra memories, even though it was most illuminating', she looked pointedly at Elena, who seethed silently at the thought of what Katherine may have seen in her head. 'It was really quite an inconvenient surprise', Katherine went on. 'Believe me Elena, we are quite special. It was no easy task finding a witch who had even head of the doppelganger phenomenon let alone create a ritual to close our cosy little link down.' She looked up and saw the shock that had caused Elena's jaw to drop. 'Oh yes', she continued in answer to Elena's unspoken question. 'I was telling the truth. I do have a witch and she's sure she can close this link down with a little ritual that she's put together for this very special occasion.' She gave a snort of laughter as if her intent should have been obvious. 'I certainly can't hand you over to Klaus like this. Give him a direct link to me? I mean why don't I just let him LoJack me and be done with it', she giggled cheerfully. Elena's mind spun sickeningly but slowly all the pieces started to come together.

'So you had to get us out of Mystic Falls', she breathed, aghast. 'You couldn't risk coming back if Klaus was alive, so you had to get us to come to you', she spoke her sudden realisation aloud.

'Yes', agreed Katherine, nudging Damon experimentally with her foot but getting no reaction. 'Although you were taking your time. Every minute that passed Klaus could have got to you himself. You're just lucky that he decided to keep a low profile in that yummy new body of his', she raised an eyebrow and then a harsh giggle escaped her. 'You certainly sped up when I sent those vampires in though', she grinned vindictively. Once again the world spun around Elena.

'That was you?' she snarled, bracing her legs against the piece of furniture behind her to stay on her feet. 'You could have killed us!' she exclaimed but her voice hitched as she spoke, betraying her true weakness. Katherine heard it immediately and her eyes lit up, all of a sudden she was approaching Elena again like a cat stalking a mouse.

'They were under strict orders not to do _too_ _much_ damage. You don't die until I say so', Katherine purred. 'Once I'd let you see where I was while you were in my head and sent those goons in to speed you along, I just had to make sure that you hadn't been followed by Klaus or made any sneaky little deals with him before you left. Your boyfriend was most obliging in that department.'

'What about Stefan?' Elena cried desperately. 'He could be here any minute.' Katherine laughed uproariously again and stretched her arms out to lean on Elena's shoulders, their two faces almost meeting, like they were each looking into a mirror.

'I wouldn't bet on him saving the day', she raised one eyebrow mischievously. 'He's relaxing in my room ... and he's already had twice as much vervain as your love bunny there.' Her smile turned Elena's stomach to ice and she felt her last glimmer of hope callously snuffed out. A purely vengeful instinct surged through her body and her arm lashed out at Katherine but in her weakened state it was like a cat pawing at a fly. Katherine trapped her wrist in her hand and brought both of Elena's hands tightly in front of her. Tears were in Elena's eyes and her chest heaved in a sob which seemed to delight Katherine endlessly. 'Now you don't want the same treatment do you?' she asked devilishly, producing a second vervain dart from her pocket and holding it threateningly in front of Elena's face. 'You can barely stand', Katherine observed cruelly, 'I know you're not going to give me any problems, in fact, I don't even think I'm going to need this', she finished and with one cold-hearted push, she sent Elena toppling over the arm of the couch to land helplessly on her back. Every limb screamed with pain and although she gave an initial struggle, she knew that she would never be able to get to her feet. Katherine tossed her hair smugly and flicked a cell phone out of her pocket. She raised it to her ear and barked the single word 'now' into it before snapping it closed again. She looked gleefully at Elena writhing feebly on the couch and she grinned broadly. 'Not long now', she promised and idly wandered back towards the spot where Damon lay in a heap on the floor. Elena started at the ceiling defencelessly, tears rolling ceaselessly down her cheeks. She had never felt so helpless. She knew that she had always been at a disadvantage as a human but she was a vampire now. How was it that she was still the weak one, even though she had been able to fight the famous Damon Salvatore into a dingy cell and escape only a few nights ago?

Suddenly something sparked in her brain. She remembered the night that Damon had caught her trying to break into the cooler of blood vividly. She remembered the strength and rage that had allowed her to wrestle Damon into submission that night and it had all been borne along on a wave of bloodlust. The bloodlust that resulted from stepping into one of Katherine's memories. She was weak now but she hardly dared hope that possibly, if she slipped into Katherine's head once again she might emerge with a burst of bloodlust that could just imbue her with enough strength to get them out of this. She screwed her eyes shut and desperately tried to think of the previous memories and how they had started, but nothing flickered through the heavy faintness that was pressing on her consciousness. She tried once more but her concentration was steadily slipping away from her. With a strangled sob of defeat, she let her head fall limply to the side, her vision sliding in and out of focus as she watched Katherine lean down over Damon and grin.

'I do wish you hadn't made this so easy', Katherine gloated haughtily, not even looking at Elena, who could barely hear her through the roaring of her headache. 'It would have been so much more fun.' Katherine grabbed Damon's hair and roughly yanked his head up so that she could see his face and she shook her head dramatically. 'He always did concentrate on one problem at a time. Never could see the big picture', she smiled wickedly.

Then, just as Elena felt the last piece of her heart crumble into miserable surrender, she suddenly felt a charge pass through her whole body like a bolt of lightning and everything was gone. The pain, the room, the hotel, everything disappeared. She was standing in a dark wood. The night time sounds and smells were familiar and comforting and the soft breeze that stirred her hair was like a caress. After the panic and agony of the hotel room it was like being unexpectedly plunged into a warm and soothing bath. Then all at once, out of the calmness came an agitated pulse of excitement that was not her own and it dangerously circled her own scattered thoughts. A burst of hope more electrifying than any other emotion she had ever felt suddenly resolved her fractured consciousness as she realised that she was once more in Katherine's memories.

Elena could feel Katherine's mind swell with some unknown purpose, irritation and impatience threaded through her eagerness and she was shocked at how important something seemed to Katherine right now. Uneasiness seeped in as she acknowledged the fact that something Katherine felt so strongly about always had the potential to be dangerous for everyone else. Suddenly, however, Katherine turned away from the trees and she was surprised to see that she was at a rest stop by the side of a deserted road, a car haphazardly parked next to a picnic table. That surprise turned to alarm when she saw Jeremy sitting on the picnic table, blood trickling from a wound on his head. He was frightened and shaking and Elena's anger sparked as she saw his discomfort. The force of her rage was arrested, however, when she looked past Jeremy to see Damon standing beyond him. His brows were furrowed in thought and he looked filled with a fearsome energy, ready to explode.

'Katherine! Phone! Now!' he demanded heatedly. Katherine bristled dangerously but she reluctantly produced a phone, which Elena immediately recognised as Damon's. He grabbed it from her and checked it urgently. His face immediately hardened.

'Bonnie's been texting me', he snapped in a tight voice.

'What is it?' Jeremy asked, fresh concern flooding his face. Damon cast a furious sidelong glance at Katherine but kept his voice measured.

'Klaus', he replied, his eyes almost aflame with anger. Elena felt Katherine bubble with frustration and rage, like she was mentally berating herself for her own failure and it swamped Elena with confusion as she struggled to place this particular event. When had Katherine and Damon been out in the woods with Jeremy? And he was hurt. She looked at her brother as he glanced sideways, he looked like he was listening to a voice by his ear but nobody was there, it was as if he was listening to a someone who was invisible. Even as the thought passed through Elena's head all the pieces began to fall into place. This was the night when Elena was attacked, the night Damon was nowhere to be found following her rejection of him at Klaus's party, until his sudden appearance at her side in the hospital, gently lifting her and carrying her to safety. She had learned afterwards that they had spirited her poor brother away so that they could use his abilities to communicate with ghosts to find a way to stop Klaus. The night they had learned about Michael. Now she understood Damon's absence even more clearly. Katherine had taken his phone, he hadn't known what was happening until it was too late. He had never told Elena about Katherine's mischief, he had taken all the blame for not being there when she needed him upon himself, clearly a result of his guilt at leaving her in Klaus's hands. She felt a twinge of shame as she realised that he had absolutely no obligation to be there to save her all the times that he had, but she had always expected it. He had been played for a fool again and not just by Katherine she realised sadly.

Damon continued to hold her in a sharp glare and the longer he remained in this aggressive silence, the more Katherine's impatience began to simmer around the edges of Elena's thoughts.

'Look at the big picture,' she finally cajoled him, her voice rising with irritation. 'The best shot you have of taking out Klaus is by finding Michael.' Elena felt a strange and sudden emptiness as she looked at Damon, still standing strong and alert against the trees, his face dark and cloudy. The thought of him scheming and plotting with Katherine so recently left her feeling slightly upset even though she knew that she had had no stake to claim on him. Maybe Stefan was right. What if there was a connection between Damon and Katherine that would always be there, she wondered anxiously.

Suddenly though, her thoughts were interrupted as Damon burst into life and was suddenly striding towards her. He slammed a set of car keys against Jeremy's chest as he passed him, not even deigning to stop as he beat an unstoppable path between them.

'Stay with her so Anna can guide you. I'm going back,' he growled in a low and dangerous voice as he advanced. Once more Katherine's mind pulsed with aggravation as her plans began to crumble around her ears. Her thoughts were racing, desperately trying to think of way to get her scheme back on track.

'You're going to get yourself killed', she blurted out angrily and there was a flare of triumph as he stopped dead next to the car, his attention doubtlessly captured. A smug glow began to permeate her consciousness as she felt things falling back under her control again. 'The Damon I remember wouldn't have been that stupid', she continued, cool and calculated. Damon looked at her for a moment, his face unreadable and then Elena was sure she saw a little flicker of glee in his eyes. He fixed her with one of his most smouldering glares, a smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth.

'I wouldn't have done it for _you'_, he retorted and the look in his eye was so determined that Katherine's mind became a red tangle of fury. Elena's on the other hand lit up with relief and hope so strong that it made her feel like she was soaring. She was wrong. There was no connection between Katherine and Damon any more. He had done what she had taken far too long to do. He had chosen her. Over and over again he had chosen her - and she had never appreciated it. Until now.

At this sudden realisation Elena felt the whole world spin around her. Her love for Damon filled her so completely that it was dizzying. He was the most important thing in her world now, just like she was his and it flooded her with a warmth that rippled from her toes all the way to the roots of her hair, making her feel like she was capable of anything.

Then suddenly she was back in the hotel room, bursting violently back into her own body and shooting bolt upright, her eyes flaming red and her fangs exposed. The pain that still coursed through her seemed to mingle with her new found determination and it created a raw and furious energy that forced new life into her weakened body. Slowly she looked at Katherine, still examining Damon's paralysed body and her lip curled in a vicious snarl.

Katherine was so caught up in gazing at Damon's unresponsive face that she didn't even notice Elena surging back to life. She was just running a cruel fingertip across Damon's lips when suddenly a voice cut into her reverie.

'Hey!' the voice cried. Katherine looked up, startled and was frozen in shock for a second to see Elena standing over her, face flaming and body tensed ferociously, animated by pure furious instinct. Elena narrowed her red, blazing eyes. 'Get your hands off my boyfriend', she growled and before Katherine could move, Elena swung her leg up in a violent kick aimed squarely at Katherine's jaw. Her foot connected with the underside of Katherine's chin with the force of a freight train and she was thrown into the air and across the room where she smashed into the TV with an ear splitting crash. The vervain dart dropped from her hand and skittered across the floor. Elena stamped on it, grinding the contents uselessly into the carpet before she flew across the room and was on Katherine's back before she had a chance to recover. Elena grabbed a tight hold of Katherine's hair and dragged her out of the pile of debris, swinging her at arm's length so that she was thrown across the room and into the mini bar, knocking bottles across the floor in a shatter of glass. Katherine hit the floor and rolled, momentarily dazed and Elena took the opportunity to attack a third time. She was being driven by pure hatred now, every vengeful blow connecting in her mind to some time that Katherine had hurt her or she had seen Damon's face shatter and realign harder and more bitter because of Katherine's actions. And it felt good. She reached down and grabbed Katherine by the neck, wrenching her painfully from the ground, then she flipped her through her air so that she landed hard on her back against the wall, the plaster cracking violently. Elena's fingers tightened around her throat and she came up hard against her, her face only inches from her doppelganger's.

'The game is over, Katherine!' she hissed directly at her, her voice jagged and fearsome. Katherine's face remained a mask of disbelief for a second, still unable to believe that Elena had blindsided her, then slowly, to Elena's horror she began to smile.

'No, it's not', Katherine replied, her voice hoarse under Elena's grip. 'It's just beginning to get fun!' Then before Elena realised it, Katherine had bent one leg and her knee caught under Elena's arm. Katherine gave an almighty push and Elena was suddenly fired off her, shooting through the air and colliding with the opposite wall. More pain exploded through Elena as she sunk down to the floor and suddenly a sliver of fear shot through her. Katherine was moving again and thundering towards her. Elena tried to scurry to her feet but before she could, Katherine's hands fisted in her shirt and yanked her to her feet.

'I'll admit I'm surprised', Katherine began with a devilish grin, then with a burst of force she threw Elena along the passage that led towards the bedroom. She hit the floor with a shattering impact and skidded across the carpet until she collided with the bed. Her whole body was alive with pain now and it was so intense that it was beginning to blind her. She gasped for breath and tried uselessly to force her limbs to work but they were once again becoming weak and ineffectual. She could only watch in dismay as Katherine slunk into the room, a smug smile painted across her face. 'And I'm glad you finally decided to put up a fight', she carried on callously. 'It's not terribly sporting otherwise', she grinned as she aimed a kick at Elena's midsection that sent her up into the air, finally landing on the bed in a defeated heap. Katherine looked cruelly down as Elena's body unrolled on the bed, stretching out on her back. 'Poor Elena', Katherine shook her head patronisingly as she sat on the edge of the bed, planting a hand on either side of her head leaning over her. 'Who's going to save you now?' The words cut directly to a place deep within Elena, that dark and helpless place where she had always cowered and waited for Damon or Stefan to save her. It was a distinctly human place, her strained and over wrought mind realised dazedly and then one single and burning thought began to fill her mind completely. She wasn't human anymore.

With one last, herculean effort Elena latched onto Katherine's arms where she leaned over her and flipped her over to land next to her on the bed, rolling as she did so and thrusting one hand viciously into the wooden headboard. It shattered into pieces raining splinters across Katherine's face and Elena's fingers seized upon a large fragment of wood, jagged at one end, and she finally came to rest straddling her doppelganger, the makeshift stake poised right above her heart. Every fibre of her being wanted to plunge it into her chest but as she looked into those eyes that were identical to her own, she could not make the final thrust that would end Katherine completely.

'I can look after myself', Elena hissed, stared furiously down at Katherine. Her doppelganger lay still, gazing at her, her face a muddle of fear, shock and begrudging respect. Slowly her lips began to curl into a smile.

'Maybe we are alike in more than looks after all', Katherine observed. Elena's eyes narrowed and she held the stake more firmly.

'I am nothing like you', Elena snarled.

'You're right', Katherine admitted. 'If you were, I'd be dead by now.' Elena took a deep, thoughtful breath and gradually shook her head.

'No you wouldn't', Elena breathed, 'because we still need you. We still need you to close this link', she said, realising that her words were true as she said them. Katherine's face twisted into a laugh.

'Clever girl', she giggled condescendingly. 'So you understand that you are going to have to let me up', she pointed out wickedly.

'Yes', Elena conceded reluctantly. 'But we're doing things my way', her voice was firm and authoritative. Katherine nodded playfully, infuriating Elena but nonetheless she knew that her doppelganger was right. They did still need her. Slowly, keeping her stake raised, Elena slid back along Katherine's legs and got painfully to her feet. Katherine moved to follow her. 'Slowly!' barked Elena and Katherine willingly complied, standing cautiously and raising her hands in surrender. Elena started moving back towards the living room, jerking her head to indicate for Katherine to follow her. Katherine moved achingly slowly, following Elena's every direction. They were just edging past the bathroom when suddenly there was a loud banging as somebody pounded on the room's door. Elena only turned her head towards the sound for a moment, but it was all that Katherine needed. Elena didn't even see the flash of silver as Katherine snatched the pin she was wearing in her hair and drove it deep into the back of Elena's shoulder. The instant lightning bolt of pain was enough to tell her that this was no ordinary weapon, its bite was excruciating yet somehow familiar. As Elena staggered backwards into the bathroom she was hit by the sudden realisation that Katherine had coated her own hairpin in vervain.

Elena collapsed to the floor certain that she was about to die. She clawed helplessly at the silver pin in her back but it just out of her reach and it was only driven further into her flesh as she landed on the floor. She laboriously heaved herself onto her front and lay panting against the cold tiles, her eyes filling with tears. She was dimly aware that Katherine had disappeared to answer the door and then suddenly she could hear another male in the room. Katherine's voice rang out once more issuing orders towards the man who had just entered.

'Take him downstairs with the other one', she barked and Elena knew that she was talking about Damon ... and Stefan. There was a slight scuffle then, seconds later, Katherine reappeared and looked down at her from the doorway, her face gloating. Behind her Elena could see a uniformed man who could easily have passed for hotel security. He had Damon thrown over his should like he was a sack of potatoes. Katherine's mouth twisted into a superior smile. 'You can come back up for this one in a minute. Believe me, she's not going anywhere', she laughed to the man behind her who merely nodded, his facial expression remaining unchanged. Then, her eyes alight with glee, Katherine gave Elena one last look before she closed the door and left her doppelganger lying on the bathroom floor, in agony and all alone.

**Author Note: Dun Dun Dun! I have to say, I have been feeling increasingly bad that I am not able to thank you fantastic reviewers for leaving such super kind words about my story. I wasn't going to thank people by name because I am always scared of leaving someone out, but I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to thank:**

**Kat St James, Reilly Black, dreamkent and Rahveryn for your really long and detailed reviews. I 100% appreciate you taking the time to give it so much thought and I love hearing your views.**

**Aggie24 for being my very first reviewer!**

**Old Victorian Quill for writing me such a sweet review early on, right when I was about to give up on the whole thing and sparking me to keep going.**

**Scarlett2112 for recommending my story beyond this site – thanks so much for the shout out. Im not very 'internet-y' so I would never have found this out if you hadn't mentioned it. Thank you.**

**Dutch Treat and ILuvBonesNDool who I think have just started from the beginning recently and are commenting on several chapters in a short space of time. It's so great to see your thoughts as you work through the story so quickly! **

**And for all you fantastic people who review several times - including: Lille Cullen, DamonIanForever, ppsh, Vikki Dillard, dollie mae, kdtvdfan, delenaluver, smoking hot vampires, karolina94, Yvie325, Tara Rebecca, Daniel White, Jesi4ever, Jade2099, QueQuowie, English Pointer, Jo, Katie, AislinnNicole1 and Midnight Scribbler – I send you big flowery thanks for spurring me on and being so nice! I'm so grateful to you all.**

**If I have missed ANYBODY out I am sooooo sorry and I still love your all your reviews. Incidentally, I am not sure if there is a better way to do this. I just about know how to post my chapters on here and that's basically it! **** So if there is, you can let me know.**

**Thanks again everyone X**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

**I don't own anything except the plot.**

Elena sobbed pathetically as she lay in a crumpled heap on the floor. How could she ever have thought she could beat Katherine? She squeezed her eyes shut in surrender, struggling against the sensation that her head was about to explode. It was reaching a peak now, even though she had kept the worst of the pain and its accompanying weakness at bay for the last few days with blood from the bags and the occasional nip from Damon. Last night it had been more than just a nip she thought brokenly, remembering the way he had allowed her to drink from him while he thrust steadily into her, filling her up in every way possible. It had left her invigorated and she had actually started to believe that maybe she was getting better. However, the minute Katherine had appeared and that awful dread had seized her, it seemed to leach out every last bit of good that the previous night had done. Fresh tears filled her eyes as she finally admitted that, all along, she had just been delaying the inevitable, papering over the cracks instead of fixing them. Deep down she knew that she was getting worse, she could feel herself slowly dying all over again as her mind gradually began to buckle under the strain of Katherine's memories. Why had she ever even attempted to fight when she was already so enfeebled by the searing headaches that spread pain throughout her body like a virus? Then she remembered Katherine hovering over Damon's lifeless body like a vulture and she knew why.

This thought gave her a little burst of determination and she tried to drag herself excruciatingly across the floor towards the door but she could barely slide an inch without the silver pin in her back acting like a lightning rod for the agony that already washed over her. If she could just get the pin out she might be able to rally herself enough to get to the blood that she hoped was still safely concealed in the closet. With some fresh blood in her system she might have enough strength to escape the room and at least have a chance at coming up with some form of attack plan. However, try as she might, she just couldn't reach it. A welcome blackness loomed before her eyes and she ground to a halt, gasping and fighting for consciousness. She dropped her head to the floor again, enjoying the comforting chill of the tiles, and defeat once again swept through her. She thought of Damon and her heart broke a little as she realised that she couldn't save him. Katherine's henchman would take probably less than 10 minutes before he arrived back for her and then all would be lost. Katherine would have all three of them and they would be handed over to Klaus. Everything would be over. She couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of vengeance that Klaus was capable of.

She actually had to marvel at the depth of her doppelganger's cunning. Damon had been right, she'd used every trick in the book. She had tried to throw them off guard with her entrance, gain their trust with some carefully chosen snippets of information and win them over with an offer of help. They might have walked to their own deaths like lambs to the slaughter if it had not been for Damon's intuition. Even then, it had taken only seconds and a few coarse remarks, carefully chosen to spark his temper, for her to unhinge him enough to be careless, to bring him close enough to her that it was easy to sink the vervain dart into his neck. In the end he had played right into her hands.

'I'm so sorry, Damon', Elena whispered to herself in the echoing silence of the bathroom. This was the thing that truly piqued her misery. Of all the times that he had saved her, she had not been able to do the same for him. She had failed him. She had failed Stefan too. She let out a strangled growl as she thought of all the other people that she had let down. Jeremy, her poor brother, was going to be left all alone with nobody to look after him and Matt ...

'_Matt!'_ she suddenly exclaimed, her thoughts freezing and her eyes flying open. She remembered their last conversation and his assumption that he could travel with her as long as she thought of him and she began to pray with every ounce of strength she had left that he was right. 'Matt!' she called out, 'Oh God, Matt, can you hear me?' The bathroom stayed resolutely silent and Elena scrabbled frantically through her memory trying to recall what Jeremy had told her that first time she tried to see Matt, until at last some of his advice surfaced in the turmoil of her mind. '_Think of something specific'_, that's what he had said. Quickly she closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could on Matt, trying to access the human life that now seemed so distant. She remembered nights when they had sat talking in his car for hours, dances where they had been the envy of every other couple in the school and then finally she settled on one night by the falls. They had stood side by side in the cold night air, gazing into the gushing water below and she had shivered as a breeze played over her shoulders. He had instantly removed his jacket and slipped it around her shoulders. She could still feel the soft material sliding over her skin.

'Elena?' a voice suddenly resounded through the bathroom and her eyes snapped open again. 'Elena, why are we in a bathroom?' Matt continued, his voice vaguely disgusted.

'Matt!' she gasped brokenly, writhing slightly on the floor to change her position so that she could see him. Her heart almost imploded with relief when she saw him standing by the bath. Suddenly he seemed to see her for the first time and his jaw dropped in horror.

'Elena!' he cried again, dipping to a crouch beside her. 'Oh my God, what happened?'

'Katherine happened', Elena replied hoarsely. 'She was behind everything. She lured us here on purpose and was just sitting waiting for us. Klaus is still alive and she wants to close off this link and then hand us all over to him so that he'll stop chasing her. She's got Damon and Stefan and they're coming back for me any minute, Matt. I have to get out of here, I have to help them!' her voice rasped desperately. Matt's face grew increasingly more confounded as Elena spoke.

'Oh my god!' he breathed and his expression tightened as his eyes became agitated. 'Oh my god, what did she do to you?' he asked, urgently assessing Elena's current condition.

'She didn't have to do much', Elena replied grimly. 'The headaches from the visions were already pushing me to the limit so I wasn't much of a match for her. But I tried to fight, Matt, I really tried', she wept. 'Then she got me with this', Elena rolled her shoulder excruciatingly to let Matt see the pin still wedged firmly in her back. 'Please Matt, you have to get it out, I might have a chance if you could just get it out. Please!' she begged him. Matt's face looked utterly torn with distress.

'But how, Elena?' he glanced panic stricken at the glinting head of the blood spattered pin which was still visible against Elena's sweater. He reached for it but his ghostly hand simply passed right through the silver, just as he had known it would. 'I can't pull it out', he admitted through gritted teeth, 'I don't have a body!' A growl of frustration racked Elena's frame and she turned her head heavily to face Matt.

'We have to think of something, Matt. Can you get help?' she hissed through the pain. Matt looked utterly lost and helpless.

'How? Nobody can see me. I can't touch anyone, talk to anyone and even if I could, I'm just as stuck in here as you are.' Elena's eyes flashed as she looked up at him with a renewed sense of importance.

'Yes!' she gasped, turning Matt's face into a mask of confusion. 'Yes you can. If you can pass right through the top of that pin then you can pass through that wall.' She gave her head a tiny jerk towards the wall behind the bath. 'You'll be in the corridor outside then, maybe someone will be passing. You have to try, Matt. You have to get their attention somehow. _Make_ them see you!' she begged. Matt sprung to his feet in shock, his eyes still locked on the seemingly impassable wall.

'I've never tried this', he fidgeted, fear evident in his eyes.

'Matt, please!' Elena pleaded once more, her whole body was beginning to shake. At once the questions in Matt's face resolved and he turned resolutely towards the wall again. He stepped into the bath and held his arms up to the solid surface. His placed his hands next to the tiles and he felt a slight vibration start to rush through him. He pushed further against the wall and the sensation grew stronger until he felt like it was pulling him in like quicksand. He gave a brief cry of alarm and then lurched forward. For a minute everything became black and the shaking became unbearable, like his whole consciousness was being juddered into pieces. However, as quickly as it had begun, light flooded in on him and he stumbled into the corridor beyond the wall, everything quickly returning to normal. Matt glanced down at himself and then back at the wall, disoriented and gave a shaky frown.

'I want my body back', he sighed wistfully to himself, then he quickly looked up and down the corridor. It was empty. Nobody was to be seen moving in any direction along the red carpeted passage. A cleaners' cart stood parked outside the room on the opposite side of the corridor but its owner was nowhere to be seen. Matt frowned and felt his anxiety levels begin to increase once again. Immediately he started to run down the corridor, desperately searching for any sign of life but, before he had gone ten paces, he was brought to a violent and abrupt halt. It was if he had collided with an invisible wall and he rebounded off the barrier that he couldn't see and went sprawling onto the carpet. Confused and frightened he got back up and stared, bewildered, at the spot in front of him. There was absolutely nothing there. Gingerly he took a step forward but once again he found that he could not move an inch further. He backed away in alarm and turned, moving the other way as quickly as he dared but sure enough, when he had moved the same distance in the opposite direction, exactly the same thing happened. Matt rushed back to the spot where he had started, cowering away from the unseen obstructions on either side of him and tried desperately to work out what was happening. Why could he not move any further away from this spot, from this room? All of a sudden something in his brain turned over. It was not the room that was confining him. It was Elena. Understanding washed over him as he realised that this ghostly being that he had become, was anchored to mortal existence by only two things: his own barely surviving body and Elena, bound by whatever spell had joined them so dangerously.

Swiftly, Matt began to despair. He couldn't bear to think of Elena waiting for death in that bathroom all alone but what could he do? Even if he was able to make a connection with someone, it wouldn't do any good if he could find anybody. He was just preparing to cross back through the wall to tell Elena the bad news when suddenly a shock ran through him as he heard a loud beep from across the corridor. It was the lock on the room directly opposite. Hardly daring to believe his luck, Matt watched as the door opened.

It was a hotel cleaner, obviously the owner of the cart that sat in the hallway. She was a middle aged, blonde woman who wore a typical black and white uniform and had her hair neatly pinned back behind her head. She shuffled quickly to the cleaners' cart, her arms full of linens and she began to stuff them into a collection bag, humming tunelessly to herself. After a moment of frozen amazement, Matt burst into action and dashed across the carpet to the woman's side.

'Hey!' he shouted, realising as he did so that he had no idea how to attempt to communicate with someone who couldn't already see him, like Jeremy or Elena. 'Hey!' he tried again, waving his arm directly in front of her face. 'Hey can you hear me? Please, we really need your help, can you just listen?' he pleaded desperately bouncing up and down animatedly, but the woman continued with her job completely oblivious to Matt's presence. 'Please. Please hear me ...' he trailed off, falling still again with the realisation that she could neither see, hear or even sense him. He didn't know what to do. He was so close. If she could just get through to her then she could save them all but there was not even a glimmer of recognition. Frustration bubbled up in him and a burst of anger rippled through his spirit. 'Oh come on, just listen!' he shouted furiously and lashed out at the woman with his ethereal arm. Then something happened that Matt didn't expect. His arm passed through the woman just like it did every other solid object, but as it did, there was a sensation not unlike the one he had experienced at the wall, a sucking, tugging that threatened to draw him in. Heat raced up his arm and all at once he was flooded with the feel of a heartbeat once again and he was conscious of a million little niggling feelings like back pain, sweating and material chafing skin. Physical attributes that he had never even really been aware of until he had found himself without a body.

A jolt of shock went through Matt and he violently snatched his hand away, backing fearfully along the corridor again. The woman stopped humming for a second and the tiniest little startled look flitted across her face but within a moment it cleared and she gave a little shiver before her humming resumed. Matt was afraid now. This was not something he wanted, this was not something he had ever wanted. He had felt the woman's heartbeat, felt her body attempting to pull him in and it had been foreign and wrong. Before Matt had realised it, he had staggered right through the wall and was back in the bathroom with Elena.

'Matt!' she croaked, 'what happened?'

'Well', Matt began, his brows furrowed with anxiety. 'Should I be able to merge with another person?'

'What?' Elena demanded in exasperation.

'There's a cleaner out there', Matt explained. 'When I touched her I could feel her body.' Even in her weakened state Elena managed to raise an angry eyebrow.

'Matt ...' she began in a warning tone.

'No', Matt shook his head in embarrassment. 'Not like that! I mean that I could feel her body as if it was my own ... I could ... I could feel her heartbeat.'

'Matt', Elena began slowly, 'are you telling me that you were able to possess her?'

'I don't know!' he floundered helplessly, 'Can I do that?' The question was fearful and he did not relish the prospect of trying again.

'I don't know', her voice was an aggravated rasping. 'Maybe because your human body is still alive, it's easier for you to slip into someone else's. I really don't know, but hurry Matt. If you can, you've got to do it.' She saw the indecision in Matt's face and her frustration doubled. 'You're only borrowing her for a minute', she coaxed him feebly. Matt's head swung between the wall and Elena in distress.

'What if I can't get back out?' he hissed nervously.

'Matt please!' Elena cried. 'They'll be back any minute. You're the only hope I've got left', she looked up at him with the biggest most sorrowfully pleading eyes that he had ever seen and his head dropped in resignation.

'Okay', he nodded, then he screwed his eyes shut and dashed through the wall as quickly as possible, barrelling straight towards the cleaner in the hall. He approached her at high speed and then, suddenly, they touched. There was no force, no collision, he only felt the creeping sensation of her flesh latching onto him and sucking him in, leaching his very essence into her warm skin and relentlessly subsuming him into her body. He let out a cry of terror as the horrible sensation claimed him but, as he did, he heard its pitch rise until all of a sudden the scream became female and a pile of linen dropped to the floor. A heartbeat roared in his ears and he felt his fingers close on the edge of the cart before him, a good, solid feeling that he had missed so much. He realised in a sudden moment of panic that he had forgotten to breathe and he drew in a great, gasping breath as his hands grasped at his body, desperately relieved to feel firm flesh and not the insubstantial reflection he was becoming used to. Then his hands reached his chest and he gave a little squeal of alarm as he felt soft breasts and his hands shot into the air apologetically. 'Sorry!' he shouted, glancing around guiltily but there was nobody there and voice that rang along the corridor was decidedly feminine.

Matt immediately dug his hands into the cleaning cart in front of him, frantically rummaging among the cloths and sprays until he cleared a spot in the jumble and revealed the stainless steel shelf beneath. The surface glinted in the light and cast as good a likeness as any mirror. The woman's careworn, kindly face stared back at him, shock causing the aging skin around her eyes to crinkle. Matt lifted a hand to touch his hair and watched the reflection copy him exactly. He had really done it.

'No way', he breathed, then suddenly he heard a faint burst of laughter from along the corridor. A young couple had turned the corner and were entering into a room in the distance but their appearance was enough to jolt Matt from his wonder. At once his hands began to slap his hips and he quickly found the cleaner's master key card attached to her belt. He grasped it and raced to the door of Elena's room, quickly letting himself in. He gasped audibly when he saw the wreckage left by Elena and Katherine's fight but wasted no time before he crunched across the broken glass, heading for the bathroom. He wrenched the door open and heard Elena give a little squeak of surprise as she struggled to lift her head. She looked startled for a moment then began to stammer.

'M'am, I'm sick, please ...'

'Elena, it's me', Matt interrupted and her face dropped into a lock of complete astonishment and, Matt could swear, a hint of amusement despite herself. He strode into the room and wrenched the pin from her back. She gave a long hiss of relief as the pain receded somewhat and Matt continued to slip his hands under her arms, yanking her laboriously to her feet. He gritted his teeth as he realised that the woman's body was not as strong as his own but nonetheless he supported almost all of Elena's weight as they stumbled from the room.

'Quick, the closet, there's blood', Elena hissed, her voice already a little stronger and her hand flailing eagerly towards the wooden door that separated her from what she so desperately needed.. 'Hurry, Matt', she urged him. Matt gently eased her into a sitting position on the bed and although she swayed dangerously from side to side, she managed to stay upright. He dashed to the closet, hurling the door open and Elena felt a razor sharp relief slice through her as she saw the cooler still sitting safely at the bottom. Within seconds Matt had hauled it across to the bed and yanked it open. There were only five bags left. Immediately he lifted the nearest one and handed it to Elena whose fangs were already protruding greedily. She tore into the plastic and gulped frantically at the blood within, letting out a long moan of pleasure as she felt it spread to every corner of her body. She could tell that it had already been in the cooler too long and it was past its best but it was enough to keep the paralysing agony at bay for just a little while longer. Hopefully a little while would be all she would need she thought grimly, violent visions of what she planned to do to Katherine flitting through her mind.

Matt heaved a deep sigh of relief as Elena reached for the second bag herself and seemed to grow more upright and commanding with every sip she drew. He turned his face to the ceiling in relief and stood back from her for a moment. However, almost immediately his eyes flicked down and caught the mirror where he saw an older, blonde woman, her face lined with concern, standing over Elena and staring worriedly back at him.

'Urgh!' he gave a grunt of embarrassment and sank huffily onto the bed next to Elena, his back to the reflection. Elena tossed the empty bag back into the cooler and made a soft little sound of satisfaction. She stared at the remaining two bags and bit her lip anxiously. She could drink more and she really could use all the strength that she could get. However, if things didn't play out in their favour for the rest of the day then there would be none left to sustain her if she needed it. Either they succeeded in breaking the link and eluding Katherine, in which case her need for blood would hopefully be less urgent and Damon would help her source some, or they failed and they would have much bigger problems. Today did seem to be an all or nothing affair. 'Can you walk now?' Matt suddenly asked, his voice slightly grumpy as he glanced edgily at the door. 'We'd better get out of here.'

'I think so', she replied and got to her feet shakily before taking a few steps to force the feeling and strength back into her legs. 'Yes', she confirmed. She glanced one more time into the cooler, then grabbed the last two bags. 'Come on, let's go!' she cried and they were both on their feet and running. They made it out of the room and were sprinting down the hallway, Elena guzzling the penultimate blood bag as they went.

'Where are we going?' Matt wheezed after her, aghast at how difficult it was to run in a woman's body and missing his own fitness.

'Katherine said her room was downstairs', Elena called over her shoulder. 'She said that she had Stefan there. I say we go down to the lobby and I'll compel them to tell us which room she's in', she suggested reasonably. Matt nodded grimly and concentrated on breathing through lungs that felt like they were about to collapse. 'Faster Matt', Elena urged as he began to drop behind slightly.

'I can't ...' he puffed, his face turning red. 'I can't run in a skirt!' Elena's step faltered slightly at his reply and she managed to look over her shoulder, a smile almost tugging at her lips.

'Now you know how it feels', she quipped wryly before her head snapped forwards again.

At last, they rounded the corridor to the elevators and skidded to a halt in front of the flawlessly polished doors. They looked up impatiently at the numbers on the display and Matt let out a sigh of relief at their luck. The blinking light was moving swiftly upwards through the digits and headed straight for their own floor. Elena bounced on her feet slightly as they waited when all of a sudden she felt a pang of apprehension. She looked worriedly at Matt and was again thrown by the motherly face that looked back at her.

'What is it? What's wrong?' he asked, sensing her fear right away. Elena shook her head, unable to give him an answer. Then suddenly she realised what it was. It was a smell. The mixed smell of heavy oil and cologne and it was deadly familiar. She had smelled it quite strongly when Katherine and her lackey had gazed down at her on the bathroom floor. It was the vampire in the suit. Her eyes went wide with fear as they locked on Matt's.

'It's him!' she gave a hushed gasp, just as the number designating their floor lit up on the wall above them. 'I think he's in the elevator!'


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

**I don't own anything except the plot.**

The elevator doors opened with a luxuriant swish and Katherine's henchman peered sullenly out from under his heavy brow. His senses had begun tingling before the motors of the elevator even ground to a halt, a nagging suspicion that something wasn't quite right. He stepped out onto the rich carpet and glanced in either direction, running a hand through his dark hair, thick with grease. There was nothing to be seen. The corridor was empty as far as the eye could see. He paused, the skin on the back of his neck prickling a little and then he shook it off and began to stride purposefully down the corridor.

Matt held his breath as he and Elena squeezed tightly into the dark cleaner's closet that was situated right next to the elevator. He was still dizzy from the movement of Elena grabbing him and snatching the master key that still hung from his belt, only to rush them at vampire speed through the first available door. They froze as much as possible while Elena listened to the man's steps receding then finally she sagged a little and ran a hand through her hair. Matt felt some of the tension leave his own shoulders and he leaned against the wall.

'Is it safe?' he asked hopefully. Elena nodded but her expression was still clouded.

'Yes. Sorry about that, didn't have time to explain. Are you ok?' she asked, reaching for him in the dark, trying to pat his shoulder apologetically. Her hand touched something that felt warm, soft and rounded beneath the maid's uniform and Matt gave a little high pitched squeal.

'Ew! Sorry!' Elena gasped in horror, snatching her hand back. Matt grumbled incoherently for a second and crossed his arms across his chest defensively.

'Is he gone then?' he finally clarified, trying to pretend nothing had happened, as far as he was concerned it hadn't.

'Yes', she replied, glad to keep up the pretence. 'But it won't be long before he realises that I'm not there', she mused worriedly.

'Well then we'd better move', Matt urged her, groping for the door handle in the blackness of the closet. Suddenly however, Elena's hand alighted on his and pulled it back. Unable to see her face in the darkness, Matt felt a slight surge of panic. 'Elena, what are you doing?' he demanded warily, resisting the urge to yank his hand out of her grip.

'He'll know that I've escaped in a matter of seconds', she began slowly, an idea beginning to germinate in her mind. 'As soon as he does, he'll head straight back to Katherine and then she'll know too. The game will be up', she tried to make Matt understand. His eyebrows knitted together in apprehension. 'If we could just get him out of the picture it could buy us some extra time before she realises what's happened and it would be one less person on her side', she tried to assure him.

'So what do you suggest?' he hissed, his voice high pitched and urgent. Elena was quiet for a moment then suddenly she was a flurry of activity, her vampire eyes almost adjusted to the darkness and she began rifling through the cleaning supplies. Matt was getting continually frustrated in the dark, unable to see what she was doing. 'Elena?' he asked agitatedly as she sent various items clattering to the floor, lost in the inky blackness. 'Elena!' he repeated heatedly and she drew back, falling still again, but he could tell that she had something in her hands. She had found whatever she was looking for. 'What are you doing?' he pressed in a hushed cry. Elena didn't answer for a second and he could sense her nerves.

'Matt?' she asked finally heavily, 'do you trust me?'

The vampire in the suit had indeed taken only minutes to discover that Elena was no longer in the bathroom. He came back along the corridor at an aggressive but still human pace, his face set in a grimace as he reached the elevators and jabbed at the buttons. He stood back to wait but all of a sudden he heard something. It was a soft, female whimper. His keen ears picked it up and he strayed across the carpet, following the low whine that was getting increasingly louder. It led him to a cleaner's closet barely a few paces away. As he grew closer, the whine began to form words.

'Hello? Help me, is someone there?' the voice sounded from behind the door. 'Please help. There was a woman, she tried to bite me. Her eyes were all red and frightening. Please, is someone there? I hid in here to get away from her and I'm stuck. Please open the door', begged the desperate voice. The suited vampire cocked his head to one side, considering his options. He was wary of the woman's disembodied voice but he could hear a heartbeat and she had to be alone because there was no chance that she would still be alive if she was trapped in there with the weak and starving vampire he was looking for. It was just a human woman. A human woman with information.

Without another thought he reached out and opened the door. He only had time to see a flash of red, terrifying eyes, long dark hair billowing out behind as Elena lunged forward and stabbed him through the heart with the broken wooden mop handle that she had found in the closet. He didn't even have time to react. He gasped and writhed and clutched at the mop handle for a few agonising seconds, then he dropped to the carpet like a stone. He was dead. Elena looked back to where Matt was still cowering in the closet behind her.

'Did you get him?' he asked brokenly. Elena nodded, feeling strangely empty. She had never killed in such cold blood before. The look on the vampire's twisted, desiccated face was one of pure horror and shock and it made her feel slightly sick. She thought fleetingly of the rabbit that she had held in her arms on a night that felt like an eternity ago. She had not even been able to harm that, even when she was starving. Look at me now, she thought coldly. Quickly, however, she swallowed her revulsion down, assuring herself that it had been necessary. The only way to save them all.

'Yes', she replied flatly and then reached down to grasp him under the arms and drag the body into the closet. Matt scurried out of her way and watched her expressionless face keenly. He knew the regret would already be pulsing through her.

'Elena?' he stopped her as she finally closed the door on the corpse. She looked up, her eyes tired and vacant.

'You had to do it', he assured her. 'It was the only way.' He held her eyes for a moment and finally he was relieved to see warmth flood back into them and she gave him a tiny smile.

'I know', she replied, lifting the final bag of blood that had been dropped to the floor when she attacked the suited vampire. 'Now, come on. I think we'd better take the stairs – we don't want to risk anyone else getting in the elevator with us.' She turned to go but then suddenly she stopped and faced him again. 'And Matt, do you think you could leave that body behind? We don't want to get her hurt and ... well ... to be honest ... it's kind of creepy.'

Matt glowered at her but he didn't disagree. Alarm gripped him for a second as he realised that he had absolutely no idea how to get out of the woman's body but as he slowly thought about it, he could feel where his spirit was melded onto the woman's. He could feel the points where his essence flowed into the woman's and mingled, letting him feel all those wonder physical attributes that he would never take for granted again if he ever got his own body back. Slowly he pulled away from that attachment, stretched the connection as far as he could, as if he was fighting his way out of a swamp. Then suddenly he felt himself stagger back with a sensation akin to forcing a foot out of thick mud and the woman dropped to the carpet in front of him.

Elena felt a burst of relief when she saw the spectral form of the friend that she recognised and she somehow felt less alone than she had when he was hijacking the maid's body. The woman on the floor was already stirring and Elena dropped to her knee in front her quickly, her hand coming to rest tightly on her arm. The woman looked up and, for the first time, Elena felt the peppery burn behind her eyes as she told the woman firmly,

'You won't remember any of this. You'll go back to work as if nothing has happened. But thank you', she finished softly. The maid nodded vacantly, then suddenly she seemed to focus.

'What happened?' she asked in confusion, looking frantically around herelf.

'You just had a little fall', Elena explained, quickly helped the baffled maid to her feet.

'Did I?' she asked in a brief moment of disorientation, 'that's so strange. I don't even remember leaving my corridor.'

'Maybe you knocked your head a little', Elena suggested. 'You seem to be fine now.' The maid nodded shakily.

'Yes, thank you for your help', she told her haltingly. 'I should really get back to work now', she assured them. Elena nodded her agreement and then watched as the woman staggered off down the corridor to continue with her work. Once she was out of sight, Elena turned excitedly back towards Matt.

'I did it!' she exclaimed, 'I compelled her!' Matt shook his head in exasperation.

'That's great Elena, but we have to move', he pointed out swiftly. And she immediately shook her head, remembering the gravity of their situation and followed him along the corridor to the door that led into the stairwell.

Elena dashed down the steps at vampire speed, Matt being practically towed along behind her and they arrived in the lobby in a matter of seconds. Elena was already heading for the reception desk when suddenly Matt called her name and she turned around, slightly irritated at this further delay. The agitation left her eyes however when she saw where Matt was pointing. A steady stream of people, at least 50, were flowing along the elaborate hallway in a single direction. There was no jostling or chatter, simply a whole crowd walking in almost unified steps with vacant expressions. Something was wrong about it, it looked decidedly _unnatural_. Elena drifted back to Matt's side, watching the current of people passing them by.

'Look at them, look at their faces', Matt pointed out, thoughtfully. Elena began to nod grimly.

'I know', she replied in a hard voice. 'They've been compelled.' She and Matt looked at each other for a moment and their minds instinctively snapped into sync.

'Where are they coming from?' Elena asked, beginning to move against the tide of people, Matt following behind, desperately trying not to collide with anyone.

'There!' Matt suddenly cried, pointing ahead of them. 'Through that archway', he clarified, indicating a large, wood framed opening that led off the main lobby through which the last of the crowd had just exited. They reached the archway and realised that it opened onto another, narrower passage. An expensively engraved sign on the wall informed them that it led to the hotel's function suites. Elena slowly edged forward, peering cautiously down the deserted corridor, before she began to creep forward along the wall, her feet making no sound on the thick carpet. This part of the hotel was different to the rest. It seemed newer and more functional compared to the sumptuous surroundings of the main building. The wall was lined with doors that let into small conference rooms and function suites, most of which had large windows that allowed them to see inside to deserted meeting tables and abandoned coats, jackets and purses. Flip charts stood with diagrams partially drawn and projector screens still showed slides from interrupted presentations. There was nobody to be seen anywhere. Elena advanced as quietly as possible, glad that Matt was still close behind her but she had to admit that she was relieved she didn't need to worry about anybody being able to see or hear him anymore.

The corridor was eerily quiet, a deep silence that should never exist in a public building. Katherine or one of her bodyguards had clearly compelled everyone in the area to leave so that they had it to themselves. Whatever she had planned seemed to require privacy. Elena's shoulders were rigid with tension and if her heart had still been beating it would have been in her throat by the time they reached the point where the corridor took a sharp turn to the right. Elena sidled carefully up to it and gathered up all her courage, ready to peek around. She was about to make her move when Matt suddenly hissed,

'Wait!' She stopped in a sudden fright and her head snapped around to face him, her eyes startled and slightly murderous. 'I'll look', Matt told her, 'they can't see me', he reasoned. Elena immediately felt stupid for not having thought of this first. She nodded, sheepishly and Matt quickly stepped around the corner. Even though he was sure of his relative invisibility, he still felt a thrill of fear when he moved out into the open.

Matt's eyes narrowed a little as he looked past Elena, seeing what she could not. Straight away he looked perturbed.

'Stay there!' he commanded urgently, holding his hand out as if it could have done something to keep Elena back. Luckily it didn't need to. Elena pressed herself into the wall immediately and looked at him expectantly. 'It's another door', he described his view. 'Just one more. Looks like a big room, probably the biggest one. This must be it, there's another one of those men in the suits guarding it', he finished ruefully. He was right, this must be it, Damon and Stefan must be so close.

Suddenly though, her thoughts were shattered by a huge crash from around the corner and Matt jumped three feet in the air. He momentarily forgot that he couldn't be seen and dashed back to Elena's side.

'It's her!' he gasped in terror. 'It's Katherine, she just came out of the room!' Elena's jaw immediately slackened with foreboding and she froze, not knowing what to do. 'You have to get out of here', Matt shouted. 'Quickly!' Elena glanced around helplessly, not knowing what to do and then her blood was chilled when Katherine's voice rang out, clearly berating the vampire that was guarding the door.

'Where is he? He should have been back by now!' she snapped viciously. The sounds of that voice, so familiar yet so terrible, jolted Elena into action and she tiptoed frantically back along the corridor a little way.

'I don't know, he never came back, Miss', Elena heard a male reply, the voice attempting to be strong but not managing to completely disguise a slight shake.

'One little vampire, that was all he had to do. She couldn't even stand!' Katherine's voice followed her, almost talking to herself now. 'Well, neither will he when I'm through with him. If you want something done, you have to do it yourself', she went on in a dangerously threatening tone. 'Nobody goes in this door, understand?' she commanded sharply and Elena could only assume that the guard agreed because Katherine then snapped, 'I'll be back!' and her voice was already marginally closer. Dread seized Elena and she struggled to resist the temptation to run, knowing that she would most likely make a noise that would lead to her discovery. She was just about to panic, when all of a sudden, Matt saved her once again.

'There, quick!' he whispered, pointing manically to one of the conference rooms, the door left yawning open from the mass exodus. Straight away Elena leapt inside and dropped to the floor beneath the window that looked into the corridor. She yanked her knees in to her chest and sat against the wall, completely out of sight. Out of habit, Matt dropped down beside her. She had barely reached her hiding place before she heard the rush of air that accompanied Katherine passing the conference room door as she stalked up the corridor.

Once she was safely past, Elena dropped her head back against the wall in relief but it was slowly overtaken by a slow misery. She had no idea what to do. She had only been able to take care of the vampire upstairs because she'd had the element of surprise on her hands. There was no way to sneak up on this one. They only had a little time until Katherine came back and she just felt helpless. Suddenly she found herself wishing fervently that Damon was here. He would know what to do, he always knew what to do. Thinking of him calmed her slightly as she remember gazing into his peaceful blue eyes while his big, strong hands stroked the length of her spine, making her feel safer and more loved than she had ever felt before. The memory flooded her with warmth and she sagged slightly against the wall, when all at once a searing pain seemed to bite her lower back, as if she had leaned on something sharp.

She gave a little gasp and shot forward away from the wall.

'Elena? What's wrong?' Matt asked, watching her with concern. Elena shook her head in confusion and reached behind her, pulling her shirt away from her skin and trying to rub the sore spot. When she grabbed the material, however, there was a sudden flash of silver as something dropped to the floor. She and Matt both crawled across the carpet to lean over it and Elena realised what it was. It was the silver hair pin that Katherine had stabbed her with, still caked in her blood. It must have become entangled in her sweater when Matt pulled it out and only now made contact with her bare skin. She looked balefully down at it and remembered how Katherine had tossed her hair arrogantly, making it glint in the light, another deadly weapon masked by beauty. Gradually she felt her whole body begin to burn with a ferocious anger.

She suddenly remembered with perfect clarity all the times that she had needed Damon, or even Stefan and they had never let her down. She remembered every time she had been in the depths of despair, every inch of her screaming 'save me' and they always had. She had been the victim, the hostage and the sacrifice more times than she cared to remember. She had always been saved. Not this time, she thought firmly, her mind suddenly hardening with purpose. This time she wouldn't let them down. Her memory suddenly flickered to Katherine sitting over her in the bed, that patronising coo in her voice and that damn silver pin shining arrogantly in her hair. _Poor Elena. Who's going to save you now?_

'I am!' Elena, suddenly hissed, her voice hushed but blistering with rage. She yanked her sleeve over her hand and lifted the pin with it, scrubbing hard with the material to get the blood off, then she was on her feet. She dropped the pin on the table and started digging through the forsaken purses strewn around the room.

'Elena', Matt asked uncertainly. 'What are you doing?' But Elena wasn't listening. She finally gave a little breath of triumph and yanked a small make up bag out of one of the purses. She found a compact and opened it, starting to tidy up her face. Matt looked on, bewildered. 'Elena, what are you doing?' he repeated more heatedly. Elena grimaced as she slicked on some lip gloss from the make-up bag.

'I am going in there', she replied steadily. 'And I am not coming out until Katherine removes this curse and lets Stefan and Damon go', she finished matter of factly, then she unexpectedly crossed her arms over her chest and tore her sweater off to reveal a silky black camisole. She felt a small pang of regret as she remembered putting it on that morning. She had worn it in the hope that Damon would discover at some point later in the day. It was the one article of clothing that she possessed that really made her feel sexy. Matt was now goggling at her as if she had lost her mind.

'But ... but how ... there's no way to get in without being seen?' Matt stammered as Elena tossed her head forward and began to comb her fingers roughly through her hair. He was completely unable to explain Elena's bizarre behaviour until suddenly she flipped her head up and her hair settled back around her shoulders, sexily mussed.

'Exactly', Elena replied with determination. Suddenly it became clear. Standing tall, with bare shoulders and tousled hair, her face perfected with the quick slick of make up, it was like Katherine was here in front of him. Matt's jaw dropped in shock. Elena grabbed her discarded sweater and used it to lift the pin again. She carefully wrapped a long lock of hair around it so that it didn't directly touch her scalp, then she secured it in the same place Katherine had. 'Two can play her game', she growled softly. Matt was already shaking his head.

'Elena, you can't, it's too dangerous', he objected, his voice impassioned. 'She wasn't even wearing that thing in her hair', Matt pleaded.

'No', Elena agreed, 'But the guard will know it's Katherine's. It'll be something familiar, he maybe even saw it earlier today. I'll have to explain the changed clothes anyway and, even so, she doesn't strike me as the type to talk to the hired help. He won't know that the last time she saw it it was buried up to the hilt in my shoulder!' she whispered violently. The distress in Matt's face was painful to see and it made her stomach sink like lead. 'It's the only way, Matt', she beseeched him quietly. 'It's the only way I can save him. I mean save them', she corrected herself, then she gave a heavy sigh. 'Save all of us', she finally admitted. The trepidation did not leave Matt's face but he nodded reluctantly.

'Well I'm going with you', he told her firmly. 'I know I can't do much, but I want to be there with you. Just in case nobody else can be', he finished emotionally. She felt tears prick her eyes at his words and gave him a small smile.

'Thank you Matt', she breathed softly, nodding her assent. 'If it weren't for you I would still be stuck in that bathroom. You saved my life.' Matt looked at the ground, pleasantly embarrassed.

'Then just pay me back by being careful!' he begged. She gave him a sad smile and then, in tacit agreement, they headed for the door and started along the corridor. 'Walk more assertively', Matt hissed as they reached the corner and immediately Elena straightened her back and lengthened her stride, her head held confidently high as she turned and saw the final length of passage. It ended in a large double door with the words 'Grand Ballroom' glistening in gold letters up above. The vampire in front of the door was almost as wide as it, a hulking great brute of a man and Elena tried hard not to let her faltering courage show. As she approached, his face twisted in a look of confusion and he moved uncertainly to the middle of the doorway, effectively blocking it.

'What are you doing?' Elena demanded instantly. 'Get out of my way!'

'But ... Miss ...' he began, his eyes worried.

'You just left and ...' he trailed off, clearly afraid.

'Yes and now I'm back', Elena barked at him. 'And I'm not in a good mood either. I already had to change clothes because your ... colleague ... got his blood all over me when I asked him a few questions about why it took him so long to follow a simple instruction!' Elena was stunned to hear the words coming out of her mouth. It was if she was channelling Katherine, it wasn't even taking too much effort. A slow burning uneasiness began in the pit of her stomach as she felt a dark pull towards the kind of power that she was projecting. It felt strong and good, was this how Katherine felt most of the time? She was aghast at her thoughts and quickly made a concerted effort to dispel them. The vampire guard was looking her over suspiciously now but he was clearly too afraid to detain her any further so he stepped back, leaving the door free for her to enter. She cleared her throat, trying to swallow down the disgust that was blossoming in her at her actions before haughtily replying, 'that's more like it!'

She tossed her hair the way she had seen Katherine do and she began to sashay past the guard, her hand already on the door handle and beginning to pull, when suddenly his arm shot out and slammed against the door, forcing it closed again. She looked around in dreadful surprise and saw that he was staring at the floor. She followed his gaze and realised that it came to rest on the battered sneakers on her feet. A cardinal sin as far as Katherine would be concerned. She would never be caught wearing such a thing. Slowly he raised his eyes back to her, a flare of triumphant aggression in them.

'New shoes, Miss?' he asked maliciously, but before he could make a grab for her, Elena had taken a leaf from her doppelganger's book and snatched the silver pin from her hair, driving it into the vampire's throat. As he gurgled and clawed at the weapon, she reached out frantically and seized his head, twisting until she felt the neck break beneath her hands. The guard dropped lifelessly to the floor. Elena was paralysed by revulsion and disbelief for a second, feeling lost, lost within herself. She could not believe what she had just done. She truly believed that it had been necessary but she was already feeling dirty and corrupt and it did not feel like her. It was not the person she wanted to be. She had a profound sense of being at the head of two different paths and this, what she had just done, was definitely not the path that she was meant to take.

'Elena', Matt suddenly cut into her thoughts. 'Come on, you have to hurry!' Elena was jerked back to reality and into action. She quickly reached down to grasp the vampire under the shoulders and dragged him into the conference room where she and Matt had been hiding, making sure that he was out of sight. There was no point in announcing their presence before Katherine even entered the room upon her return.

'That should keep him out for a bit', Elena observed. 'Even once the broken neck heals the vervain pin should keep him quiet.' Matt nodded and followed as Elena made her way back towards the Grand Ballroom door. She paused as she reached the threshold and took a deep breath. After everything that had happened in the past few weeks - her transition, Stefan, Katherine and Damon - her whole consciousness felt like it had been turned upside down and jiggled around like a snow globe. Her identity felt like it had been sent swirling around in circles and it was only now coming close to settling into its final resting place. Elena desperately wished that she would be happy with the result. Something within her seemed to know that once she entered this room there would be no going back. Everything was going to change. But she didn't care, she had to get to Damon and if she had to go through Katherine to do it then so be it. With a burst of determination she grasped the handle and cautiously opened the door.

'This is it', she thought. 'Showdown.'

**Author's Note: Sorry for the lack of Damon! He'll be back soon, I promise!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

**I don't own anything except the plot. **

Elena slid silently through the door and was immediately blanketed by the thick silence in the room. She entered into a small vestibule area with dark, rich carpets and a low ceiling. There was a thick smell of polish and cleaning products in the air, which she understood when she looked at the gleaming fixtures that adorned the walls. But there was also something else; there was a spicy, burning smell, like some kind of incense, floating underneath, which would have been more at home in a dingy occult store than in the opulence of this grand suite. She quickly noticed that a cloakroom stood to her left and a bar stretched off to her right from the vestibule, both of which were slightly eerie as they stood dark and deserted. The bar and cloakroom lined the back wall of the room and, although she only had a very restricted view from the vestibule, she could tell that, ahead of her, the space opened up into a huge ballroom, the centre of which was entirely taken up by an expansive dance floor. The only light in the room came from an enormous crystal chandelier, which cast shafts of dancing brilliance across the floor, causing the wood to take on an iridescent shimmer. The dance floor was bordered by a series of tall marble pillars and, beyond these, it was surrounded by a shadowy carpeted area where Elena assumed that people would normally dine. Right now, however, the tables stood bare and forsaken, their thick linen cloths crumpled and still a little stained. It was staggeringly beautiful and presided over by a painted ceiling framed by elegant golden angels. Elena felt a gasp catch in her throat at the beauty of the room when suddenly she noticed that there was something in the middle of the dance floor. She narrowed her eyes, trying to decipher what she was seeing, then her stomach clenched as she realised that the perfectly varnished surface had been hastily defaced. A large pentagram had been scored into the wood.

Fright shot through Elena at this realisation and all at once she felt achingly exposed and vulnerable. Her uneasiness multiplied when, out of nowhere, she suddenly caught a whiff of fresh blood, sharp and delicious and this was closely followed the faint, wonderful thud of a heartbeat. A pang of hunger rippled through her, terminating in a painful throb at the back of her head. There was a human here. Her senses shrieked at her to duck for cover and she felt the instinctive yearning for the safety of concealment. She obeyed this urge immediately and she dove towards the cloakroom, hiding herself under the counter. Sure enough, the second she was out of sight, she heard footsteps.

'Stay down', Matt advised grimly and he remained on his feet, watching everything that was playing out on the dance floor. 'There's someone here', he finished. Elena cursed to herself in frustration and drew herself in tightly under the cloakroom counter, but as she glanced back up at Matt, she realised that there was a large, ornate mirror on the wall at the back of the cloakroom. It gave her an almost perfect view of the rest of the room and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out when she looked into the ghastly reflection.

In the glass she saw a woman walk out onto the dance floor. She had a deep purple, velvet bag hanging over her elbow and she carried three small dishes in her hands. She proceeded to place two of them in the centre of the pentagram before scattering the contents of the third in a wide circle around the marking. She was dressed all in black but not in any kind of cliché costume. She wore neatly cut black trousers and an elegant top with a beaded neckline. Her hair was a mass of thick auburn curls and her face was made up with sophistication. Elena felt her nerves judder more forcibly as she realised that this must be Katherine's witch, although she looked more like she someone who practised business rather than magic. Elena felt a pang of bitter amusement as she thought of how Bonnie would lambast her for such stereotypical views, then it dissolved into aching sadness as she realised how long it felt since she had seen her estranged friend. Her melancholy was obliterated by fresh alarm, however, when the woman suddenly produced a long, slender dagger with a golden handle from the bag. She methodically pricked her palm with its needle sharp point and began muttering incantations under her breath as she let a drop of blood fall at each point of the pentagram. Her eyes closed purposefully, then suddenly the quiet in the room was torn apart by a loud, incoherent groan and they flew open again, flickering towards the sound.

Elena clamped her hand over her mouth and her whole body froze, her heart a dead weight in her chest. Slowly she glanced further along the lengthy mirror on the cloakroom wall and she felt tears prick the back of her eyes at what she saw. She had been so caught up with watching the witch that she hadn't realised that the mirror afforded her a view of the pillars at the far side of the room and there, tightly lashed to two of the towering marble columns, were Damon and Stefan.

Each of the brothers were sitting on the floor with their backs pressed to a pillar, their arms bent painfully round behind them and secured at the back. More ropes ran around their chests, under their arms, pinning their shoulders up and forcing them to sit straight, facing the centre of the room. The groan had come from Stefan. He was still not completely conscious following the vervain poisoning and his head lolled uselessly on his chest but Elena could tell that life was seeping quickly back into him. Damon, on the other hand, was wide awake, although his face was still contorted with pain. He glowered murderously from under lowered eyelids and watched the witch with burning intensity. She looked up sharply from her preparations, irritation flashing across her face.

'I told you to keep quiet', she snapped, her voice cold and as hard and smooth as metal, completely in contrast to her soft hair and features. She began to walk towards Stefan with insulting calmness, turning the dagger over deliberately in her hands. 'I warned you what would happen if you didn't keep quiet', she smiled perilously, her eyes glinting with malevolence. Stefan stirred some more but was not even awake enough to be aware of her threat as she advanced.

'Leave him alone!' Damon's voice suddenly rang out across the room and Elena felt like she had not heard it for an age. It filled her mind and flooded her with a new confidence and determination. She recognised the pure, flaming anger and fierce protection in his eyes and she felt a ripple of tenderness and pride as he lashed out on his brother's behalf. It reminded her, right to her core, of why she loved him so much. As soon as Damon had spoken, however, the witch whipped her head around and pointed at him with the knife.

'Excuse me?' she asked with sarcastic courtesy.

'Do you have to drug all your men to get them to play?' he goaded her, a dash of pitch black humour colouring his words. 'He's not even conscious, what's the point of threatening him', he finished darkly. Her face twisted into a cruel smile.

'No, he's not', she agreed, her eyes flashing. 'But you are.' Then suddenly Damon's head flew back against pillar, his neck straining and teeth clenching, biting back a scream of agony. Elena was instantly rocked by horrified confusion but then she saw the witches face, her eyes closed in easy concentration and she understood. She was attacking him with the brain melting psychic headache that she had seen Bonnie use before. Rage shot through her and her body actually began to move before Matt brought her back to her senses.

'Stop! If you give yourself away now then you'll be next. Then you'll never save them!' he cried, throwing his arms out defensively as if they could stop her. She had barely pulled away from the wall that she had been leaning against before she caught herself and dropped heavily to the carpet, desperately hoping that she had not made a sound. She snapped her head back up to the mirror and she saw that the witch remained oblivious.

She opened her eyes again and Damon's head dropped forward like a rag doll, unable to restrain a gasp of relief as she released him from the pain. Slowly he raised his head and met her eyes with the deadliest expression Elena had ever seen.

'You realise that pretty soon you are going to be nothing more than a tasty entrée, right?' he growled ferociously. The witch raised one bored eyebrow.

'Yes, I'm terrified', she replied sardonically and Elena could see Damon straining at his bonds, pain lancing across him face once more before he sagged back against the marble. The witch smiled with infuriating satisfaction. 'All done?' she asked pointedly and Damon only replied with a silent snarl.

'Don't Damon, it's not worth it', another voice suddenly croaked and Elena realised with a sweep of relief that it was Stefan. His head still hung weakly but he was awake and sensible of his brother's danger. The Salvatores exchanged an angry glance but Damon continued to seethe quietly, not uttering another word. The witch laughed softly.

'You should listen to your brother', she advised, gesticulating towards Damon with the knife again, then the humour drained from her face and it grew serious. 'Now be quiet', she ordered, 'I need to concentrate.' Elena kept watching in the mirror as Damon knocked his head backwards against the pillar in frustration and Stefan closed his eyes, clearly trying to recover his strength as quickly as possible. The witch finally seemed to decide that they were under control and she returned to the pentagram in the middle of the room. She sunk to the floor and sat cross legged at the centre of the pentagram, letting the bag fall to her side and pulled the two dishes that she had retrieved earlier towards her. She took a deep breath and sunk the fingers of her right hand into one dish and the left into the other, then she closed her eyes tightly and began to murmur to herself. Elena felt her hope rising as the witch quickly became lost in concentration, swaying from side to side, eyes tightly shut. Elena looked up at Matt and his face was full of apprehension but he nodded. This might be her only chance.

She looked wildly around herself and suddenly realised that the cloakroom had an entrance at either side. She stared at the opening opposite the gateway where she had entered and finally grasped that it gave access to the far side of the room and would lead her directly into the dimly lit, shadowy area beyond the dance floor. The route was peppered with tables and chairs that had been hastily cleared and these could provide cover as she made her way around the room. Elena knew that this could be her opportunity, it was her safest move and she could follow the ring of pillars right to Damon and Stefan. If she could just release them, then it would be three vampires against one and a witch. They might just have a fighting chance. Elena took a steadying breath and remembered once more all the times that people had been hurt trying to keep her safe but she was a vampire now – and she was not going to let it happen again. Screwing up all her courage, she pushed away from the counter and began to crawl along the floor towards the edge of the cloakroom.

She reached the edge and positioned herself next to the corner. Slowly she craned her head around the side and was finally able to look down the room to where Damon and Stefan were restrained. Damon's attention was concentrated on Stefan and once again Elena felt a little wave of affection as she saw how worried he was about his brother. Stefan, now far more alert, was looking back at him in return. His lip was curling slightly in defiance of his brother's concern, the hurt and betrayal clearly still burning fresh, but, beneath it all, Elena was sure that she could discern a note of gratitude and relief. Somewhere, deep down ,Stefan was glad that, if he had to be in this situation, his brother was with him. Suddenly all of that left Stefan's face though and his eyes widened with pure horror as he suddenly noticed Elena peering out from the shadows. Damon immediately recognised the alarm in his brother's face and turned his head, following Stefan's gaze. Elena's eyes met Damon's and all of a sudden she could not stop a smile splitting her face. Damon's expression was a heart wrenching mixture of dismay, relief and a longing so insistent that Elena wanted to run to him right away. She managed to control herself, however and quickly brought a finger to her lips, warning them to keep quiet. Damon nodded almost imperceptibly then his eyes flicked back to the witch in the middle of the floor, ensuring that she hadn't spotted he and his brother's surprise.

'It's okay', Matt's soft voice suddenly reached Elena's ears, startling her with its closeness as she had not noticed him moving around beside her. 'She's still absorbed in her ... chanting', he finished uncertainly. Elena nodded her gratitude to him and then returned her attention to Damon, trying to give him a reassuring smile even though her eyes were filling with tears of joy at the prospect of being safely reunited with him. He returned if with a quirk of his lip that almost devastated her with the devotion and worry that it conveyed. The words 'be careful' were practically emblazoned across his face. She closed her eyes slowly, promising him that she would and he seemed to understand, returning his attention to the witch in the middle of the floor.

'Okay', Matt instructed from above her. 'She's really into this spell or whatever she's doing. Now or never, Elena', he grinned weakly and Elena felt her face harden with resolve. She didn't hesitate a second longer before she crawled as silently as possible out from behind the counter and started the slow, silent passage towards Stefan and Damon. There was a haphazard stack of banqueting tables directly en route, their tablecloths reaching the floor, which would cover her most of the way as she made a bee line for the brothers. The quiet was pressing in on her as she moved, it seemed to be terrorising her with its silent menace, daring her to break it and give herself away. She no longer had Damon's encouraging eye contact since she had moved behind them now and they were both resolutely facing the centre of the room, just in case the witch should chance to glance up. Elena forced herself to continue, her hands and legs moving in achingly slow and shuffling steps and she desperately tried to ignore the gradually increasing throb that was growing yet again at the base of her skull.

She felt a surge of relief as she began to approach the tables, eager to dive behind them where she could move more freely for a bit. The gloriously long banquet tables would take her almost all the way to the pillar where Damon was trapped. Her movements grew slightly faster and less constrained as she neared the relative safety of the large tables but as she hurried past the first one she suddenly felt a pulling sensation at her foot and she whipped her head around to look over her shoulder in terror. In her haste she hadn't noticed that her shoe had become entangled with the cloth and given it a sharp pull. The cloth was now moving steadily in the wake of the tug that her foot had given it, sliding soundlessly over the wooden table and heading for the floor where Elena knew its billowy landing would be enough to catch the witch's attention. In a panic, she rocked wildly up and back onto her haunches and slammed a hand onto the edge of the table, stopping the cloth in its descent. Everything was still and silent for a second and she froze anxiously in her contorted position, listening for any movement from the witch in the centre of the floor, her nerves shrieking in her ears. The witch still chanted calmly, clearly riveted by her spell. Elena quietly let out a sigh of relief. Gently she began to tug on the edge of the cloth, working it back onto the table so that nothing would be amiss should anyone look over, when suddenly she saw a dark shape heading over the edge of the table to the side. Her eyes widened in dread as she realised that from her low vantage point she had never been able to see the surface of the table properly and had been unaware that a flat, silver serving tray had been left behind. The movement of the tablecloth had unsettled it and sent it teetering perilously close to the edge. As if in slow motion, the tray wobbled on the precipice of the table and Elena shook her head and let out a tiny gasp as it began to fall.

The tray dropped to the carpet, clattering against the table leg as it did so and the sound rang out across the room, a dull thud that, to Elena, might as well have been a siren. Before the witch could react, however, Damon let out an almighty and exaggerated sneeze, and this drew her attention before she could even look in the direction of the clatter. This extra few seconds gave Elena enough time to grab the fallen tray and drop back down behind the table, out of sight.

'What was that?' demanded the witch angrily, getting to her feet. Elena felt her whole body shudder with fear and her head pulse with the familiar, blossoming pain. She looked for Matt and realised that in the panic of the last few minutes, he had completely slipped her mind and was now nowhere to be seen.

'No, no, no', she thought to herself and desperately searched for a memory of Matt, bringing him to the front of her aching mind and trying to picture the planes of his face. But she was fraught with distress and the pounding in her head was getting stronger. She just couldn't force the right amount of concentration to settle on a distinct memory. Now she felt more alone than ever and she longed for Matt's selfless face to reappear.

'I said, what was that!' came the witch's voice, derailing Elena's train of thought with a fresh surge of panic. Without Matt and the mirror, Elena now felt blind but she could hear slow, ominous footsteps walking towards her. She clutched the edges of that treacherous tray and she could feel the metal bend beneath her fingers.

'What do you expect?' Damon's voice rang out gaily, that wickedly playful tone permeating his words. 'If you want peace to do a spell, pick someplace less dusty', he suggested sardonically and then he gave another theatrical sneeze, making sure to bang his foot against the floor at the beginning in an effort to replicate the sound that the tray had made earlier. Elena almost let out a snort of laughter at his impudence but she was paralysed in the silence that followed his claim. The witch said nothing for a long moment, during which Elena's heart seemed to have taken up residence in her throat. Then there were more footsteps. They moved away from her and towards Damon.

'What did I tell you about noise?' the witch hissed, clearly having rounded on him.

'Beyond my control, sorry', Damon replied in an affected, simpering tone that must have been infuriating for her. 'Won't happen again', he finished insincerely.

'You're lucky I'm not allowed to kill you', the witch hissed viciously at him. Damon didn't reply and another seemingly endless silence drew out before Elena once again heard retreating footsteps. She remained frustrated and sightless behind the table, unable to tell what was happening and coming apart with distress. Then suddenly, like the sound of the first bird in Spring, she heard the witch's humming resume and she was pierced with hope. With a judder of effort she pulled herself back onto her hands and knees and crawled swiftly along the back of the table. She reached the end quickly and slowly forced herself to peer around the edge. Damon's pillar loomed in front of her now, only a few feet away. From behind like this she could no longer see his body, just his hands that were cruelly tethered at the back of the column, tied tightly at the wrists. She was surprised to see spidery trails of blood snake across his hands and drip to the floor then she noticed the raw wounds on his skin under the ropes, a faint wisp of smoke rising from them. The ropes had been soaked in vervain she thought with a barely contained rage.

Briefly she looked out to check that the witch was still occupied with her spell and Elena was relieved to see that she now had her head thrown back to the ceiling, eyes tightly shut as her incomprehensible chanting grew louder. She glanced nervously across the distance between herself and Damon and, after a deep breath, she made the final leap and darted across the remaining space until she was safely concealed behind Damon's column, dropping to her knees again on the carpet. Although she was stuck behind him, out of his sight, she could hardly contain the joy that flooded through her at being so close to him again. She reached frantically for his hand, the only part of him that she could touch without being seen and felt a ripple of fulfilment grip her as her fingers closed on his. He clasped her hand so tightly and she felt all of his frustration, love and anxiety poured into that squeeze. She remembered how he had held her hand like this the other day in the car, hidden from her apart from the tiniest reflection in the mirror. She remembered how he had silently soothed her after he pulled the branch from her shoulder in a dark forest clearing while she stared up at the starlit sky; how he had squeezed her tightly and muttered a stream of encouragement as she was blinded with bloodlust at her transition; how he'd carried her barely conscious from the hospital the night that Klaus had taken her blood and, finally, she remembered how he had first confessed his love to her – and then forced her to forget. All the time she had known him seemed to be showered with so many moments where they had been brought so close but she had not really been able to see him clearly. He had been there all along, loving her and protecting her and now, if it was the last thing she did, she was going to protect him.

She hastily disentangled her hand from his and watched wretchedly as it still groped blindly for her for a second. She gave it one more tiny, reassuring squeeze then she yanked the bottom of her camisole over her hands and set about unfastening the ropes. It was a slow and difficult process as she couldn't get a proper grip due to the vervain and every now and again it would soak through the material, reaching her skin with a slight sizzle and she had to switch to a new patch of fabric. Damon wriggled and flexed his hands as much as possible to help her but after a few minutes she had only managed to loosen one hand. It was nearly impossible to undo the tight, burning knots and she wished fervently for a knife or any other kind of implement but eventually she could tell from the way Damon was tugging against the rope that the hand was almost free. She couldn't help but admire his strength to fight against the vervain ropes like this without so much as a gasp. It must be agony. She was just about to give the final yank that would release his hand when suddenly the witch's chanting began to crescendo until it was a frightening shout. In spite of herself, Elena let her head lean slightly to the side for a moment to see what was happening and all at once an electrical charge seemed to pass through the witch and she arched her back, howling to the ceiling as a bright flash of light engulfed her. Elena gasped and shrunk in against the back of the column, just keeping the witch in her line of vision. She felt herself pressed against Damon's hand and it instinctively latched onto her camisole protectively. Elena blinked her dazed eyes as the light disappeared and then saw that the witch had collapsed to the floor and that the pentagram had begun to glow with an eerie, supernatural light under the dancing radiance of the chandelier.

Elena's mouth dropped open in shock and apprehension while Damon and Stefan exchanged a worried glance. The witch was already hauling herself back up onto her hands, exhaustion evident in her heavy limbs. Elena watched with morbid fascination as the witch manoeuvred herself back into a sitting position and noticed that even though her body was tired, her face was jubilant. She clapped her hands together with glee and all of a sudden two columns of fire roared several feet into the air from the two dishes in front of her. The unexpected burst of flame startled Elena and she stumbled back on her knees, stifling a gasp as her balance deserted her. She wobbled for a moment, then she fell forward against the pillar, unable to stop her long, bare arms colliding forcefully with the vervain ropes that wound around Damon's upper body. They burned like molten lava and wrung a cry of pain from her lips that she could never have contained. The witch heard it immediately and snapped her head towards Damon like a bird of prey.

Elena collapsed down behind the column, making herself as small as possible. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her face into the marble, cursing herself for her own stupidity. She didn't dare move a muscle, knowing that only the column stood between her and discovery.

'What. Was. That?' the witch demanded, enunciating every word menacingly. Stefan and Damon looked at each other warily, then Damon shrugged his shoulders as best he could under the ropes. Elena could still see his hand struggling and forcing against the bonds just next to her face.

'I didn't hear anything', he replied with infuriating simplicity. 'Did you Stefan?'

'No, Damon, I did not', he replied innocently, picking up on his brother's tone. There was a hurried scuffle as the witch got to her feet.

'I think you're lying', she accused in a voice that was as soft as melted lead and just as deadly. Damon gave an obnoxious chuckle.

'You just set off your own fireworks display indoors. Maybe it affected your hearing?' he suggested flippantly. Suddenly Elena could hear footsteps heading towards her.

'No, it was me', Stefan suddenly cried, seeming to be almost recovered now and doing his best to divert the witch away from the pillar where Elena was hiding. The footsteps stopped and the witch became worryingly still. She seemed to deliberate for a long time and when she finally spoke her voice was wicked and taunting.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to hide something from me', she teased callously. Damon and Stefan had fallen quiet now, the silence terse. 'No reply to that?' the witch asked mockingly, then her feet were advancing towards Damon once again, slowly and with deliberate malice. 'Let's see', she cooed, moving dangerously close. At last Damon found his voice and he forced another contemptuous snort before the witch could round the pillar, stopping her in her tracks.

'Please', he blurted out contemptuously. 'I've been tied to this pillar for the last half an hour. So unless I'm a lot better at magic than you are, I couldn't be hiding much, could I?' he snarled, only the tiniest hint of desperation creeping into his voice. Elena curled herself up into a tighter ball behind the column. She could smell the woman's perfume now and she stifled a sob of fear as tears burned her eyes. She just couldn't believe that this was the way it was going to end. Her head was pounding and her vision was blurred, but she managed to swallow hard and maintain her silence.

'Oh, I don't know', the witch purred and Elena almost jumped at how close her voice suddenly was. She must be leaning right down into Damon's face right now. The witch paused gleefully, drawing Damon's torture out for as long as she could then she grinned. 'I think I should take a look and see.' Damon was bursting with coiled anger but he knew that the only way to play this game was to brazen it out and remain aloof.

'Go ahead', he breathed viciously, bluffing for all he was worth. The witch stood up straight and gave Damon an evil smile before she called his cards and lunged around the side of the pillar to see behind.

There was nothing there.

Damon had squeezed his eyes shut in maddening frustration, awaiting the witch's cry of triumph, but when none came, he opened them again, bewildered. He shot a look at Stefan who shrugged helplessly, his face similarly baffled. The witch walked right around the pillar and emerged at Damon's other side, by which time he had recovered his cool demeanour.

'Told you', he grinned innocently, looking up at her with wide, sarcastic puppy dog eyes. The witch's face hardened suspiciously.

'I know you're up to something', she growled to Damon's benign smile. 'Both of you!' she cried, pointing suddenly at Stefan. The tense silence lasted for another moment, then at last she let out a burst of cruel laughter. 'Enjoy this while you can', she scoffed. 'You'll not be around much longer anyway', she finished and finally she turned and headed back to the Pentagram.

Elena gave a long sigh of relief from underneath the nearby banqueting table. She had not been able to believe her luck when she had heard the woman leaning down into Damon's face, effectively restricting her vision to Damon's all consuming eyes. And Elena knew first hand how impossible they were to escape. It had been all the time that she needed to scoot back across the carpet and underneath the floor length tablecloth at vampire speed, any sound she might have made lost under Damon and the witch's argument. She listened to the witch's footsteps recede from the white linen cocoon beneath the table and, not for the first time, was grateful for the sharp clack of the witch's heels on the hard, wood floor. She pressed her fists into her eye s and tried to regain her composure even though her whole body was now quivering with tension and aching profusely. At last everything out in the ballroom fell quiet again and Elena rallied herself, eager to return to Damon. She reached for the edge of tablecloth, ready to climb back out into the shadowy periphery of the room and make her way back to him. She grabbed the fabric and lifted it, but instead of seeing the dimly lit expanse of carpet stretching back to the wall, her line of vision was filled with a dreadfully familiar face, her lips twisting into a jubilant grin. Elena felt her every muscle tense as though the ground had just fallen out from beneath her. It was Katherine.

'Boo!' Katherine whispered and then her arm suddenly shot under the table, latching savagely onto Elena's neck. Katherine yanked hard and tore Elena from the ground, her fingers digging mercilessly into her throat. The table was overturned with an almighty clatter as Elena was wrenched up into the air and then Katherine forcibly threw her out into the middle of the room. She hit the dance floor with a sickening thud and skidded across the smoothly varnished surface.

'Elena!' shouted Damon and Stefan simultaneously, unaware of what had been transpiring behind them but their faces hardened when they saw Katherine stalk out of the shadows.

'Katherine, leave her alone!' Damon raged, renewing his struggle against the ropes.

'Enough!' barked Katherine, thrusting a warning finger towards him, then she walked confidently towards the spot where Elena groaned on the floor, her whole body heavy and her exhausted mind scrabbling to comprehend what was happening. Katherine smiled down at her with thoughtful amusement. 'I can't say I'm not impressed', she began, her taunting voice slightly softened by something that sounded like a new found respect. 'How _did_ you get out of that bathroom?' she asked curiously. Elena's lips curled into a snarl as she finally managed to heave herself into a sitting position.

'As if I'd tell you', she growled from the floor. Katherine forced an overblown pout.

'Aw. And here I was thinking that we could be girlfriends', she drawled sarcastically. 'Oh well, never mind, life goes on', she trilled gaily, running all three phases together insincerely. 'Such a shame', she went on, her face suddenly becoming very serious. 'Still, tick tock, we have a ritual to perform', she instructed. 'Why don't you go and sit in the pentagram like a good girl?'

Her tone sent a fresh spark of rage through Elena and with a colossal effort she staggered up onto her feet. She stared at Katherine, holding her eyes and felt her chance of saving them all slip further through her fingers. Yet she could see persistence in Katherine's eyes, an eagerness to progress with this ritual. She knew then that she had something that Katherine wanted and it could be her last bargaining chip.

'No', she hissed, angrily, never breaking eye contact with her doppelganger. Katherine's eyes widened with surprise and Elena felt a flush of satisfaction that she had managed to elude her expectations.

'Elena, what are you doing?' Damon pressed urgently. 'That ritual is why we're here!'

'You have to let her help you', Stefan blurted out at the same time. Elena shook her head, looking into Katherine's scheming eyes.

'No', she repeated. 'You let them go first', she ordered her doppelganger, nodding towards Damon and Stefan. All of a sudden Katherine erupted in laughter.

'That's very commendable Elena', she observed condescendingly. 'But you know I can't do that.'

'Elena come on, you might die without this, you need it', Damon told her in a tight, serious voice, tugging violently on his ropes once again.

'I know', Elena roared, 'But so does she', she pointed at Katherine who's eyes had now narrowed pensively. 'And I am willing to bet that this ritual won't run so smoothly if I'm dragged into it kicking and screaming', Elena went on, returning all her attention to Katherine. 'If you want me to do this willingly, you let them go first', she demanded. Katherine gave an amused and indulgent chuckle.

'Elena', she began in a sickly sweet voice. 'I made the mistake of underestimating you once. I don't make mistakes twice', she threatened and Elena felt her heart quake. 'Morgan!' cried Katherine, turning to the witch, finally revealing her name. Morgan seemed to understand what Katherine wanted immediately and she dug her hand into the velvet bag by her side, yanking something out. Elena didn't understand what was happening as Morgan suddenly hurled the item through the air but as Katherine's hand closed around it, she realised what it was and her heart dropped like a stone. It was a stake. Katherine snatched it and in a flash of vampire speed she was suddenly standing in front of Damon, the weapon poised directly over his heart.

'No!' shrieked Elena and darted forward, but Katherine raised the stake and looked at Elena menacingly. Elena's step faltered and she stopped dead in the middle of the floor, a single tear sliding down her cheek. She stared desperately into Damon's eyes for as long as she could bear, trying to ask him what she should do. Her defeat was like a physical pain to Damon and he tried to quirk his lips into a smile of encouragement in an attempt to ease her devastation. 'I'll do it' Elena finally finished brokenly.

'Fabulous', Katherine drawled, then she motioned towards the back of the room with her hand. The henchman whose neck Elena had broken outside the door earlier emerged from the shadows. Katherine had obviously discovered him on her way back to the ball room and re-enlisted his services. She beckoned to the hulking vampire and he moved to join her. His shirt was still soaked with blood from where he had been stabbed by the hairpin and he cast a resentful glare at Elena as he passed her. Katherine only removed her eyes from Damon for a second as the man approached.

'Here. Hold this right here', she ordered, handing him the stake. 'If she tries anything, anything at all, you stab it straight into his heart, got it?' she barked. The man nodded as he took the stake, keeping it against Damon's chest the whole time. Once Katherine was satisfied that her lackey was in control, she whirled around and was striding towards Elena. She grabbed her by the elbow and guided her roughly towards the pentagram. Elena felt the last traces of fight flitting away from her as she dropped to the ground next to Morgan the witch. Katherine also took a seat so that they were sitting in a triangle within the circle of herbs and around the two dishes that Morgan had deposited there earlier. 'Now', Katherine sighed heavily, 'let's _finally_ get this started.'

Elena looked miserably across the room to Damon and he nodded encouragingly, a brave smile on his face but suddenly she jumped as Morgan took her hand. Elena felt a quick stab of fear as she realised that Morgan was holding the dagger again but all she did was prick her briefly in the middle of her palm and then force her hand to the middle of the pentagram, letting a drop of blood fall right into the centre. She repeated this process with Katherine and then she dropped the dagger back to her side. The three women joined hands and Morgan dropped her head, beginning to chant once again. Elena felt an increasing anxiety as Morgan's voice grew louder, the tension in her body twisting tighter and tighter as she realised that she had no idea what this ritual entailed. Suddenly Morgan's voice rose to a shout and once more the dishes between the three women erupted in ferocious bursts of flame. Then everything seemed to happen at once in a burst of chaos.

The sudden incendiary explosion took everyone by surprise. The vampire who was hovering over Damon with the stake dropped his concentration for a split second and his head instinctively snapped around towards the noise. While the henchman was momentarily distracted, Damon's hand suddenly came flying around from behind the pillar in an unexpected burst of force, his wrist still raw and bleeding. The rope, Elena realised with a surge of hope. Once she had loosened it earlier Damon must have continued to work against the slackened bonds and finally got his hand free. She could only guess at how long he had been waiting for just the right moment to strike. His hand thundered forward and seized the stake that was suspended over his heart. His movement was so fast and vicious that Katherine's henchman did not even realise what had happened until Damon had wrenched the stake away from him, expertly twirling it in his hand until the point was aimed squarely at his captor. Elena saw the look of terror grip him just a moment too late as Damon drove the stake forward, under his ribcage and directly into his heart. The huge vampire juddered and grabbed at the stake for a second, then he dropped to the floor like a stone. Elena's heart soared as she felt their fortunes swing upwards and before anybody could stop her she tore her hand out of Morgan's and lunged for the dagger that still lay by her side.

'Damon!' Elena shrieked and then tossed the knife expertly through the air towards him so that he could cut away the rest of his restraints. A smile broadened across her face as she saw Damon's hand close around the knife but, immediately, Katherine gave a roar of rage. She too ripped her hand out of Morgan's and she threw herself across the pentagram towards Elena.

'No! Don't break the circle!' screeched Morgan, but her words were lost as Katherine collided with Elena and searing charge shot through each doppelganger that blasted their heads back and their arms out from their bodies. Elena's skin began to tingle violently as if it was about to catch fire. She looked up into Katherine's face pleadingly but her panic reached breaking point as she realised that Katherine was in the same predicament, uncertainty filling her eyes. The current flowing through them seemed to grow stronger and suddenly Elena felt her body rising up from the floor until she was levitating over the centre of the pentagram, Katherine suspended directly in front of her. She glanced fearfully into her doppelganger's eyes but was unable to verbalise any question. Then suddenly there was an explosion of blinding light and everything disappeared.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

**Really, really hard chapter to write– hope you enjoy it! I don't own anything except the plot. **

As the hotel room blinked out of existence, Elena felt herself pulled into a horrifying swirl of visions. The occasional violent flurries of memories that had besieged her before were nothing compared to this. It was so fast that she could barely distinguish one memory from the next, although sporadically she would catch brief, identifiable glimpses of Damon, her parents, Jeremy and all the people that she cared about. Then the speed of her surroundings increased impossibly and became even more dizzying. She seemed to be surrounded by recollections of screams and blood and ripping flesh, all too horrifying to bear. Her body went into excruciating spasms and her head thundered to the point of bursting. She began to scream as the pain overwhelmed her, then there was an awful, tearing sensation as though her skull was splitting in two and one final memory came into sharp resolution. For a split second the agony seemed to abate just enough for her to register what she was looking at. It was herself, only she was wearing a torn and dirty evening gown, her face smudged with mud and her hair dishevelled. She was in a dark, unfamiliar room and stood upon a small wooden stool. Elena's fractured mind struggled to comprehend what this could mean, then suddenly she noticed the length of rope trailing down from the ceiling and disappearing under her dark hair. The apparition looked tearfully upwards, muttering a silent prayer to the heavens and with a bolt of awful understanding, Elena realised that this was not her, she was not in her own memories any more at all. It was Katherine. Then suddenly Katherine jumped from the stool. As Elena heard the sickening sound of her doppelganger's neck crack, the pain lanced through her like a flaming sword and everything went black.

All at once Elena found herself plunged into a silent darkness so deep that even her vampire eyes could not discern any shapes in the inky nothingness. The sudden sensory deprivation hit her like a blow following the pandemonium in the hotel ballroom and the blitz of memories, which she now realised had been a combination of hers and Katherine's. For a moment, she stood in stunned bewilderment, the sudden calm bringing her thoughts to a screeching halt like a wave of cold water. It was quiet, absolutely silent and slowly the sneaking suspicion that something was missing crawled up her spine until, all at once, understanding rushed in on her. The pounding in her head was gone. The undulant ache which seemed to have taken up permanent residence in her skull was completely soothed. Her mind was clear and all the staggering pain had been drained completely from her body. For the first time since her transition, she felt fully in control, unbeatable and at last aware of what it truly meant to have a vampire's strength. The relief that flooded through her was almost enough to make her knees buckle. All of a sudden, however, her thoughts were arrested when she heard a slight growl in the darkness and her spirits instantly dampened. Any kind of horror may be lying in wait in the blackness. She shuddered and dared to back up blindly for a few steps before she heard the sound again. This time, however, it managed to form itself into words.

'That witch is _so_ dead', snarled that unmistakable voice, issuing from somewhere directly ahead of Elena but several feet away.

'Katherine?' Elena exhaled, unable to stop herself. She hated to admit it, but even Katherine's treacherous voice sounded welcome in this lonely void.

'Fabulous, you're here too', Katherine drawled irritably and Elena rolled her eyes, swallowing a niggle of annoyance.

'Where are we?' Elena asked, harshly. 'What have you done to us?' Katherine was quiet for a moment, but Elena could hear a soft scrabbling noise coming from the same general direction as her voice and she assumed that Katherine must be testing the space around her, feeling her way in the dark.

'I don't know', Katherine replied, her voice edging slightly through the blackness as she moved. 'This wasn't supposed to happen', she hissed sharply. Elena considered her words for a moment, wondering if this was just another lie, like the thousands that Katherine had told them before.

'Is that the truth', she asked grimly and in return she heard Katherine give a hollow laugh.

'You can believe what you like, Elena', she answered wearily. 'Now, do you want to help me find a way out of here or not?' her voice shifted subtly again. Elena could almost have laughed at the notion of Katherine asking for her help and indignance rose up in her. However, before she could think of a pithy comeback, the quiet was torn apart by a loud rumble and the ground began to shift violently under their feet.

'What's going on?' Elena cried over the din as the sudden shaking caused her to stagger backwards on the juddering ground. She was thrown painfully to her hands and knees and could feel the spidery sensation of dust powdering her face and fragments of stone bouncing against her back. Although Elena couldn't see a thing, it now seemed a fairly safe assumption that they were in a room with walls and a roof. And they were beginning to crumble. 'I think the walls are coming down!' she screamed as another jolt sent her sprawling on the grimy floor.

The ground quaked for what felt like an eternity but in reality was probably only a moment, then everything became still again. Elena remained lying on the floor, too afraid to move into the unknown darkness for fear of triggering another tremor. She could hear the gravelly noise of dust and mortar still settling on the floor around her and somewhere beneath that a faint, humming sound seemed to have arisen, although it was indistinct and far too distant to understand. Slowly, Elena began to haul herself back up to her feet when Katherine's voice suddenly hissed out in the blackness.

'Look! A light', her doppelganger whispered urgently. Elena glanced around wildly and suddenly saw that Katherine was right. Where there had been only thick darkness before, there was now a tiny flickering point of illumination, small and weak, like a candle. Elena felt a chill run through her as she tried to ignore her certainty that it had not been there before. 'Come on', Katherine breathed and then Elena could hear the sound of her feet scraping tentatively across the floor towards the light. Elena began to follow, only sparing a second to appreciate the irony that she was now listening to the woman who was intent on killing her. However, as much as she hated Katherine, she did not want to be in this place alone. In the dark it seemed easier to pause her hatred and vengeful urges in case they needed to work together to escape this place.

Slowly they drew closer to the light and Elena realised that it _was,_ in fact, a candle. It was sitting in the middle of the floor, its ancient looking wax dripping steadily over a battered brass holder but her relief at being able to see again was short lived as she realised that the candle was not alone. Elena's stomach lurched as she realised that a figure knelt on the floor beside it, still and silent, its back turned to her. She could not see much detail in the wavering shadows apart from the long dark hair that cascaded down the person's back. She tried to call out a greeting but fear made the words stick in her throat. Her nerves were shrieking and she could swear that the humming sound was gradually getting louder, only exacerbating the tension in the room. Elena felt herself naturally drop to her knees as she verged on the candle's little pool of luminescence, so as not to startle the newcomer. Suddenly she sensed something beside her and Katherine emerged from the darkness, the weak light falling softly across her face. Elena felt a sad, painful connection with her when she realised that Katherine had also sunk to a crouch upon her approach. Their eyes reached a tacit agreement and then together they leaned forward the final inch that pushed them into the sphere of the candle's glow. At exactly the same time, the unknown figure turned slowly around. Neither Elena nor Katherine could stifle their gasp of shock as they found themselves staring at a third face identical to their own.

'It's nice to finally meet you', the woman with the candle said softly, fixing them with gentle and unsurprised eyes. There was a warmth in her voice that calmed Elena slightly. 'My name is Tatia. I'm the original doppelganger.'

Elena, rocked back on her haunches, her constricted throat relaxing in a huff of relief as her mind reeled. She looked sideways at Katherine and although the older vampire was trying to maintain an inscrutable mask, the surprise was evident in her eyes. Once again the room began to judder round about them, but the movement was more distant now, as if they were at the eye of a storm and no longer subject to the tumult that surrounded them. Again Elena was sure that she perceived a marked crescendo in the humming noise, which almost seemed to be becoming tuneful now. Tatia smiled kindly as she noted their stunned silence.

'I don't mean you any harm', she assured them in a gentle voice. 'This is just an opportunity that I did not want to miss.' At last Elena felt the majority of her fear drain away, increasingly replaced by curiosity.

'What opportunity?' Elena finally managed to ask.

'To come here and meet you', Tatia replied sincerely. Elena let this digest for a moment and framed her next question carefully, eager not to offend the original doppelganger.

'How is it that you're able to meet us? Are you a ghost?' she asked haltingly.

'Something like that', grinned Tatia, amused. 'I _have_ been dead for a long time but there are still times when I can hear the living. I can sense _you_ all the time you know, both of you. We're blood, the three of us. The doppelganger curse has meant that even though I've been nothing but spirit for centuries, our connection has always crossed all barriers. I've been able to feel all your tears and pain and joy over the years, that's why I've wanted to meet you for so long', she explained and Elena felt her head spin with shock, unable to believe what she was hearing. 'When the ritual began I could feel it vibrating against the boundaries between the worlds and when it was interrupted, it tore an opening to this place, something I've never seen before', Tatia continued. 'I realised that I finally had my chance to come here and talk to you.'

'Where _is_ here?' Elena asked cautiously, too stunned to really think beyond the first question that popped into her head. Tatia gave her an understanding smile.

'We're in your mind', she replied benignly. Elena's eyes widened and a new fear gripped her stomach. She glanced sideways at Katherine but she still sat unmoving, her eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion, clearly reluctant to be drawn into this unexpected turn of events. Elena swallowed hard, afraid to put her fear into words, remembering once again how devoid of pain she had suddenly become and the awful sight of Katherine jumping to her death.

'Am I dead?' she asked, her voice a panicked squeak, wondering if the ritual had finally ended her poor body's suffering for good. She heard Katherine snort with derision beside her but she refused to pay her any attention.

'No', Tatia shook her head indulgently.

'But the pain ...' began Elena, trailing off when Tatia held her hand up compassionately.

'Even though the ritual wasn't finished properly, it _has_ worked, in its own way', she began to elucidate.

'Its own way?' Katherine finally broke her silence, teeth gritted and eyes furious. 'That witch is more than dead', she fumed under her breath. Tatia looked at her with wide pitying eyes and continued as though she hadn't interrupted.

'The ritual was supposed to sever your minds neatly, as though it were cutting them with a knife but because it was disturbed it has joined your minds together completely and is trying to peel them apart piece by piece', she revealed, her face still serene and friendly. Around them Elena could hear the room shaking again, a low thunderclap of destruction, and above it, the humming was slowly becoming a song, a soft but indistinct lullaby.

'Piece by piece?' Elena repeated anxiously, reluctant to think about what that may mean. Tatia simply nodded.

'At the moment your minds are working as one, running back through all their combined memories and disentangling them one at a time', Tatia continued. 'Katherine's memories are not forcing their way into your head, you're sharing the combined space. That's why you feel no more pain.'

'When the hotel room first disappeared it was agony and there were visions – hundreds, thousands of them all at once ...' Elena began to ramble but she felt her words evaporate when she saw Tatia smile sympathetically.

'That was the magic, your minds splitting apart, all those memories were being returned to their proper place. The majority of the ritual is already over', she stated resolutely, then a sadness passed over her face. 'Only one thing remains now. Once we get where we're going, things will finally be complete and your minds will be your own again permanently', she assured Elena, who felt a tsunami of relief surge through her.

'What do you mean where we're going?' Katherine repeated suddenly. 'You said we were in my ... _our_ mind. Where do we need to go to close the link?' she demanded impatiently. Tatia turned her sympathetic face to Katherine and the humming around about them began to reach a volume that was making it increasingly difficult to tune out.

'Where you must always go to take care of this kind of thing', Tatia answered calmly. 'We're going back to the beginning.'

At that Katherine's expression suddenly boiled over from impatience into irritation and she lurched forward from her kneeling position, finding her feet on the still slightly unstable ground.

'I've had enough of this', she snapped. 'You might be able to enthral the baby vampire with your cryptic riddles and sentimental nonsense but not me', she snarled, nodding towards Elena. 'How do we get out of here? I'm going home and you ca...' but Katherine suddenly trailed off mid-sentence, glancing around in consternation as if she had just noticed something terrible. The wordless melody that had been dancing around them at last resolved into a recognisable tune and Elena could now tell that it was a woman's voice, gently humming in a soothing tone. Immediately Katherine's face went completely slack and the emotion that filled her eyes was something that Elena could not even identify. It was a dread more profound than she had ever seen and it made her own stomach sink with apprehension. She couldn't begin to think of how bad something would need to be to inspire such horror in Katherine's face. Katherine suddenly clapped her hands over her ears, shaking her head frantically as though the song were causing her physical pain. 'No!' she cried, her voice hitching under the weight of some powerful emotion. 'Make that noise stop! This wasn't supposed to happen', she babbled wildly and as her composure began to crumble, so did the walls around about them, the floor once again shaking fiercely. Tatia stood up, coming face to face with Katherine and held the vampire's tortured eyes, seemingly unsurprised by what was transpiring. In a cloud of confusion and anxiety, Elena too struggled up to find her feet on the juddering ground. Then all of a sudden, a piece of the ceiling fell away and a great shaft of light cut through the darkness of the room like a lightning bolt. The walls were starting to fall. Another ray of light shot across the room as more and more of the walls that surrounded them cracked and began to tumble to the ground.

'That witch said I could keep this safe', Katherine continued to ramble, her voice raw with desperation. 'She said nobody would see it. She said I had kept it safe!' she cried. Elena was astonished to hear that her voice was almost a sob and then at last all the pieces fell together in Elena's head leaving her rooted to the spot with shock. This _was_ Katherine's mind, the very deepest part of it. This was the dark place where she had walled up all of the things that she wanted to keep hidden, the parts of herself that she no longer wanted to acknowledge. These were the memories that were most the painful, the most unbearable. Memories that she had managed to intentionally keep Elena from sharing. And they were now being set free. Once more Elena felt like the ground had dropped away from beneath her.

'You've been picking and choosing what memories I was allowed to see?' she yelled incredulously over the collapsing walls and the humming that was causing Katherine so much distress. Katherine shot Elena a look of pure loathing.

'These aren't yours to see. These aren't for anyone to see!' she snarled viciously. Elena felt her whole body bristle with anger but all at once she felt Tatia's calming hand on her elbow.

'These walls were never for Elena's benefit, Katherine', she pointed out sagely. 'You've been constructing these for centuries.' At her words, Katherine's face twisted with utter anguish and at last the remainder of the walls fell away, the room full of darkness finally destroyed.

The walls, the quaking tremors and the pitch blackness all vanished and they were left standing in a large, airy space. This was not like any of the previous times Elena had visited Katherine's memories as she was not trapped within her body, feeling every sensation like it was her own. Instead, she, Katherine and Tatia stood within the memory as if they were ghosts, watching everything as it happened but completely unable to interact in any way. Elena was grateful to at least be in possession of her own body and she slowly began to take in their surroundings. It was a medieval bedchamber, hung lavishly with tapestries which flanked the slender, glassless windows in the heavy stone walls. A large bed filled the majority of the room, with sturdy wooden furniture neatly positioned around it. All of this was directed towards the large fireplace on the far side of the room that burned merrily, suffusing the room with a cheerful glow. The only thing that remained of the darkness from which they had emerged was that sweet, melodic humming.

Katherine's body seemed to have gone utterly limp. Her arms dropped to her sides and her jaw hung loosely, her eyes filling with tears. Elena followed her gaze towards the bed and noticed that there was a woman, comfortably bundled under the thick, warm blankets. Elena now realised that the tune they had been hearing was being crooned softly by the woman in the bed, her attention affectionately fixed on something hidden under the covers. Elena cocked her head and looked wonderingly at Katherine, her rage suddenly derailed by burgeoning curiosity, when the covers suddenly shifted and a mop of dark hair appeared.

'Mama', came the baby cry and a little girl, 3 or 4 years old climbed out from beneath the covers. The woman smiled and hoisted her up to nestle into her breast, stroking her hair and giving the lullaby words, singing them softly into the child's ear as she rocked her. Elena didn't need to ask what she was witnessing, the child's face was the same one that had stared back at her out of thousands of her own baby pictures. This was Katherine, Katherine and her mother. Elena's hand flew to her mouth as she realised how what this must mean to her doppelganger, how deeply this would affect her. She chanced a glance at Katherine and saw that she still stood straight and with a fixed expression, although her whole body was trembling. She was inescapably transfixed by the tender smile that graced her mother's face as she sang and the love in her eyes when she affectionately kissed her daughter's forehead. Something within Elena understood this pain, knew the overwhelming comfort that only a mother could provide and knew what it was like to have that snatched away. Suddenly tears were burning her own eyes.

They saw no more however, as the memory suddenly shifted and changed around them. The bedchamber disappeared and was replaced by a sunny hillside. Flowers bloomed amid the grass and Katherine's mother sat peacefully on a rock, sewing piled in her lap. Nearby, Katherine danced among the bright petals and grinned as she plucked daisies, which she happily weaved through her hair. She was a little older now, maybe eight or nine and beginning to look like the Katherine that Elena recognised. Suddenly, her mother's head snapped up as the sound of horse hooves began to approach. Swiftly, a white horse came into view, cantering up the path that wound along the hillside. It drew to a halt at the edge of the clearing and the rider dismounted. He was an older, handsome man with greying hair and a beard and Katherine's face lit up when she saw him.

'Papa!' she cried and ran gleefully through the grass to greet him. He scooped her up in his strong arms and swung her through the air, her squeal of delight echoing all around and eliciting a smile of utter contentment from her mother.

'Please stop', breathed the adult Katherine, her voice a tremulous, tortured whisper that jarred painfully with the happiness that surrounded them. 'I don't want to see anymore', she begged, still completely enthralled by the scene before her. Elena turned to Tatia, her eyes glassy. For some reason, at this moment, everything that Katherine had done to her seemed to fade into the background. She couldn't think of anything more deeply devastating than Katherine was by this unexpected torture. For the sake of the little girl, still giggling with happiness behind her, Elena ran to Tatia's side.

'Can't you stop this?' she pleaded in a hushed voice. Tatia's face was sad as she shook her head.

'I'm not doing it', she replied with regret. 'It's the ritual, this is the one thing that it still has to do. Katherine kept these things so deeply locked away that it is struggling to separate you. It needs to play out these repressed memories in order to keep them safely in Katherine's head once the link is closed' Tatia revealed. Elena looked back towards Katherine who was still standing like a statue, staring at her long lost family, unshed tears bright in her eyes and an expression so lost and helpless that it made Elena's heart ache.

Even as Elena looked pityingly at her doppelganger, things began to waver round about them and they were once more plunged into darkness. They were standing in a stable, horses whinnying peacefully on either side of them as they bedded down for the night. The only illumination was the moonlight that filtered in through the open and the air was heavy with the sweet smell of hay and the pungent aroma of the animals. Katherine's eyes closed excruciatingly slowly, sending a single tear down her cheek as her younger self darted furtively into the stable, face flushed and eyes alive with excitement. She was older again, as close to an adult as she was ever going to be and she almost collapsed into exhilarated giggles as she ran towards the pile of soft, clean hay that lined the back wall of the stable. Immediately a young man bounded into view after her. His clothes were those of a peasant, dirty and careworn but his face was devastatingly handsome. The young Katherine covered her mouth to stifle her laughter and beckoned to him eagerly. He ran towards her and enveloped her in his arms, kissing her passionately. After a moment he pulled back and looked deeply into her eyes.

'Katerina. My love', he breathed and some part of Elena knew that he was speaking a foreign language, however, she understood every word, clearly a perk of her mind being so joined with Katherine's. The young man proceeded to methodically kiss Katherine's forehead before saying, 'because you are always in my head.' Then he placed delicate kisses on each of her eyelids followed by the whisper, 'because I see you even in my sleep' and then he finished by pressing his mouth to Katherine's in a long chaste kiss. He pulled back and smiled before finishing, 'because my lips will never touch another', in what was clearly their own heartfelt ritual. Katherine's chest was now heaving with desire and she let out a little gasp of need as the young man swept her into his arms again and they collapsed into the pile of hay.

'Was he the father of her child?' Elena asked Tatia brokenly and the original doppelganger nodded.

'Yes. That was the last thing he ever said to her. When her parents found out about them an accusation arose that he was a thief and he was beaten in the street and banished from the town. Katherine never saw him again', Tatia sighed. Elena bit her lip, ready to spill tears for this woman that she hated.

Gradually the memory around them blurred again. It was moving faster now, sprinting through heart wrenching scenes of the young Katherine wailing and pleading. Her mother cried and her father yelled thunderously until the tenderness that he had always reserved for his daughter died in his eyes. Eventually they all faded away until only the young Katherine was left in the bedchamber in which her mother had sung to her as an infant. A door slammed closed and a key clunked loudly in the lock, sealing her in her prison. As she dropped to the bed sobbing and clasping her slightly swollen belly, Elena fervently wished to dart forward and offer her some comfort, but her words were useless now, hundreds of years later. Katherine had committed so many awful crimes in her time, but her first had only been to be naive and in love.

'I didn't live the most respectable life either, Elena, not by the standards of my time. I had a child out of wedlock too', Tatia admitted at Elena's side but she trailed off as the memory around them shimmered into darkness again. Suddenly, the air was torn asunder by the young Katherine's screeches of pain. Elena realised that they were still in the bed chamber, although now the air was heavy and smelled bad. Katherine was a sweating, anguished mess on the bed, tended to by a couple of women while her mother was resolutely positioned at her feet. The human Katherine was grunting and sobbing, clearly deeply mired in the final stages of labour. With one last agonising scream there was a hushed gasp from Katherine's mother and a baby's cries filled the room. 'I don't think anything filled me with so much joy as hearing _my_ baby's first cry', Tatia sighed, the ghost of a smile on her face, then her features suddenly grew hard. 'Or so much despair', she finished, her face sorrowful. Elena digested her words as she looked closely at Katherine's human face. Even though shame and torment twisted her features, her eyes still lit up with hope when she heard the mewling baby. Suddenly Elena jumped as a door next to them slammed violently open, revealing Katherine's father.

Elena covered her face, physically feeling like she was sharing Katherine's torture. A lone sob finally broke from the vampire Katherine, who had been standing catatonic throughout and her whole body began to shake fiercely.

'Let me hold her, just once', pleaded the younger Katherine, as her father bore the child away from her, reaching for her baby with a desperation that was heart wrenching. 'Just once!' she screamed, her voice dissolving into a wail as her mother gathered her in her arms, restraining and comforting her at the same time. Elena took a step towards the present Katherine, every compassionate instinct in her body telling her to console her, but she stopped short, unsure of how Katherine would receive her pity.

Elena was grateful when the memory began to melt and slowly their surroundings changed to a different part of the castle but the new scene provided no comfort. Blood was spattered across the tapestries on the wall and a maidservant lay dead on the floor nearby, blood drenching the front of her dress. Suddenly they heard frenzied foorsteps and looked up to see Katherine's younger self racing down the long corridor towards them.

'No!' muttered Katherine, her voice only just holding steady, 'please no'. But her earlier counterpart continued to barrel down the hallway, her face twisted with terror. The Katherine of the memory raced past them and they all turned to see that the carnage continued in the room behind them. Sprawled across the bed and floor were several more corpses and Elena felt her throat close as she recognised Katherine's parents' lifeless faces among the dead. As the young Katherine collapsed next to her parent's with a heart breaking scream and dissolved into sobs, the current Katherine took a few shaking steps forward towards the tableau before her. She sunk to her knees next to her mother and slowly reached out a hand towards her face. Her fingers stopped before they made contact, knowing that all of this was just a reflection of her own mind, a memory, nothing that she could touch or experience again, it was gone. She ran her hand around her mother's face lovingly, barely half an inch of space between her hand and her mother's careworn skin.

'Mama', she mouthed, looking so wistfully at the unresponsive face that Elena would have given anything to change this for her. She began to understand why Katherine had locked these reminiscences away so tightly. As the memory began to fade, Katherine was seized by a sudden panic. 'No, Mama, please!' she begged, lunging forward, but it was already gone. Her face crumpled and her tears finally flowed freely. She curled into a ball on her knees, her body racked with sobs.

'Klaus didn't leave anyone alive', Tatia breathed next to Elena. 'Her family, all their servants, everyone she had ever known were killed. That's when she started running and she's never stopped.'

'How do you know all of these things?' Elena suddenly turned to Tatia, hastily scrubbing away the tears that she could not stop falling. Tatia shook her head sadly.

'When I became part of Esther's spell it was the most awful mistake that I ever made', Tatia finally continued. 'When I died I was never able to find peace after what I had done. When Katherine was born I felt the connection immediately. I couldn't help but watch over her life and yours, every little detail is important to me. I know everything that has happened to both of you. All these awful things that ruined her life and sent her down her dark path were because of me. Because I allowed the doppelganger curse to be created. If there had been no doppelganger then Klaus would have had no interest in her', Tatia bit her lip. 'Think how different her life might have been. I've felt so guilty all of these years for what I've done to you both. I was just hoping that I would be able to help you now.' Elena digested Tatia's admission with a raw bewilderment that left her feeling utterly confused about everything she thought that she knew. Finally she glanced towards Katherine again. She sighed heavily as she realised that the endless cycle of violence and anguish would just keep going around.

'She told me her story once', Elena confessed, feeling unutterably sad. 'I always wondered if it was true or just another of her lies.'

'It's true', Tatia nodded sadly. 'Esther never thought of how being a doppelganger would affect future generations. It was always assumed that a doppelganger would be identical to the one before, live an identical life. Back in our time women were already so marginalised that their lives were considered to be almost interchangeable anyway.' Elena frowned and shook her head in disgust. She opened her mouth to answer Tatia when suddenly a brightness began to surround them again as a new memory surfaced.

'Oh no', Elena gasped, 'I don't know if I can watch anymore', she groaned.

'There isn't much more', Katherine's voice suddenly reached her, hollow and worryingly vacant. Elena snapped her head around and saw that Katherine was on her feet again, standing with her back to them. She was once more under control and her tears had dried although her eyes were still red and puffy. 'There's only one thing left that I've tried to forget', she continued dully and as she spoke, the parlour of the Salvatore mansion materialised around them. Elena could see the familiar Katherine of 1864 sitting daintily on the edge of a couch, Stefan perched next to her, courteously holding her hand and talking to her with a sweet smile and loving eyes. Katherine was positively glowing under his attention, her face alive with delight and her usual cynicism nowhere to be seen. 'I had no designs on either of them, I only thought that they would be fun to play with', a faint smile tugged at her lips. 'I would have had them jump through hoops for a while and then cast them aside, you know that's what I intended, you felt it, didn't you?' she directed the question to Elena but she did not move even a fraction, her voice disconcertingly sincere. 'But then he treated me like a lady, not a monster', Katherine's blank voice continued. 'He saw me as someone he could be proud of. I don't know if anyone had ever seen me like that before. Shame was all I had ever managed to bring my family', she mused, her eyes locked on Stefan, his young, human face happy and carefree. 'I really wanted that. For a brief time I thought I could pretend to be that for him but ...' she trailed off, lost in the memory that was playing out before them.

The memory began to change then and soon the parlour was replaced by the sun dappled orchard. Katherine was weaving gleefully through the trees until suddenly a figure emerged unexpectedly from behind a broad apple tree and drew her into a hug. It was Damon. He pressed Katherine in to the tree while she laughed in delight and soon they sunk into a passionate kiss. Elena felt her stomach turn over with rage and jealousy, furious shock robbing her of all power of speech.

'Then there was Damon', Katherine continued, rolling her eyes affectionately as she watched her younger self got lost in Damon's strong arms. 'He infuriated me. In the beginning it filled me with rage that he pursued me so doggedly and I loved to torture him. You know that's like, right Elena', she pointed out, her voice still an empty whisper and her body rigid. 'I wanted to love Stefan. I wanted to be with him, but Damon was so ... diverting. He loved so completely and recklessly, not like Stefan who was so proper', a smile ghosted across Katherine's lips, betraying the fact that she found Stefan's reserved nature actually rather endearing. 'After a while I couldn't help but admire his devotion and he really would have done anything for me', she watched Damon pul back from her younger self and stroked her cheek, looking into her eyes. 'I hated him', she went on, her voice cracking slightly once more as she remembered what the Salvatore brothers had once been to her. Elena's stomach continued to churn as she saw heat and tenderness that flooded the reflected Katherine's eyes. It was a world away from the bitter resentment she had always borne him in the memories she had left unprotected, the resentment for provoking feelings in her that she would rather ignore. 'I hated him for making me love him too', Katherine finished. Elena's startled mind finally began to work and she felt like her whole world was crashing in around her ears. Katherine's mind really was a more twisted and tragic place than she could ever have suspected.

'You _did_ love them? _Both_ of them?' Elena accused, her voice quiet and harsh. 'All this time you've let them believe they meant nothing to you.'

'They don't anymore', Katherine replied, her voice hoarse and still eerily honest. 'But back then ... maybe if I had chosen one of them, all of this might have turned out differently', she thought aloud. Elena felt her anger crystallising into a heavy lump in her stomach.

'I don't believe you, Katherine', she hissed eventually. At last Katherine's face seemed to register her words and for the first time since the memories began, she turned her head to face Elena, an angry question in her eyes. 'If they don't mean anything to you any more, then why are they in here with all the other people that you loved?' Finally the bereft helplessness began to drain out of Katherine's face, replaced by an ancient fury that made Elena stop in her tracks.

'Because that is what you do with the people you _love'_, Katherine spat the last word out like poison, rounding on Elena. 'You leave them behind, because they are the people that will wind up hurting you. They are the people who will bring you down faster than any enemy ever will', she cried. 'Hatred is easy, fear is easy – that can't be used against you, but love? _Love_? That's the quickest way to get yourself killed. It almost happened with them, I was stupid enough to fall in _love_ and I waited in one place too long. My secret was discovered and they were killed, _I_ was nearly killed', she stepped closer to Elena, her face livid and her anguish coming from the deepest part of her that now raged free. 'And look at you!' she continued, jabbing a finger towards Elena. 'How many times has your brother died now? If it wasn't for that ring he'd be gone by now. And your little friends Matt and Caroline. All of them have been put in danger over and over again because you _love_ them.' Elena could feel her eyes burning with tears, Katherine's onslaught cutting her to her core. Then suddenly she felt an overwhelming retaliation building with her.

'No!' she screamed, bringing Katherine to a halt, surprised at the vehemence of Elena's voice. 'They were not in danger because I love them. It was because they love _me_ and that Katherine is a very different thing.' Katherine goggled at her for a moment, the wind taken out of her sails and suddenly both women realised that the memory had altered yet again. Now they were on a quiet riverside, bathed in sunshine and surrounded by the calm sounds of the wood. Before them the younger Katherine was nestled amid the tall grass and peering over the water to a ramshackle boathouse on the opposite side. In front of the house at the edge of the water sat Damon and Stefan, side by side, brothers in arms. They were both staring at the sun and Elena remembered Stefan's story of their transition. This was the last time that they looked at the sun as humans. Even from this distance she could see the devastation on the face of each brother. Her heart ached as he realised that Katherine had been there, watched them change before she deserted them. Elena felt her anger overtaken by sorrow once again and turned her head to Katherine who was also gazing across the water, her face softer once more.

'And they would have loved _you_. If you had just let them', Elena pointed out sadly, all aggression now gone from her voice. Katherine seemed to process this for a moment and then gradually her face became hard.

'It's so easy for you to say that, you're so _young_', she scoffed. 'You'll learn, as you get older', Katherine's voice rose. 'The only person that you look out for is yourself!' she growled.

'I'm not like you Katherine. I understand that there has been so much pain in your life – and mine too but I'm different. I'm already doing things differently. Your future is never going to be mine.' Katherine's lips drew back into a snarl and she was about to retaliate when suddenly Tatia slipped between the two women, her hands raised to keep them apart.

'Stop!' she commanded. 'Do you really want to waste this opportunity by fighting among yourselves?' She glanced sharply at Elena and Katherine and they both lapsed into a sulky silence. 'Do you want to know why your minds linked in the first place?' Tatia demanded agitatedly and then didn't wait for a response before she continued. 'It's because there is only ever meant to be one living doppelganger at a time. When I died, all of my consciousness was removed safely to the other side, but when you became a vampire Katherine, the curse didn't know what to do with your memories. You were dead but your consciousness thrived. When Elena came along a new doppelganger was born but, when you died, the curse became even more confused. It recognised the consciousness of two separate supernatural doppelgangers and assumed that it should only be one. So it merged the two together, after all, you are doppelgangers. Your minds should be identical.'

'But that's crazy!' she exclaimed. 'Are you saying that my life is destined to turn out like Katherine's no matter what?' Tatia shrugged and fixed her with steady eyes.

'You were both once little girls with loving parents', she sighed. 'You were both so completely loved and yet you both know what it's like to have that snatched away, even before you were vampires. Your lives are already verging down the same path', Tatia finished, raising her eyebrow at Elena as if she was deliberately trying to bait her. Elena was now shaking her head vehemently, a surge of anger driving her.

'That's ridiculous!' Elena blurted out. 'Just because we're directed down the same path doesn't mean we _have_ to walk that way. There are a million different choices to make that could take me in all different directions. I _chose_!' she cried pointedly at Katherine. 'I chose Damon and we'll look out for each other for as long as we both can', Elena retorted, her strength growing with every word. 'That is the difference between us Katherine. That's what all this has been about. You made me realise how much I love him and finally gave me the strength to make that choice. I will _never_ abandon Damon. I will never stop letting him love me and, together, we'll save each other!' !' her voice escalated to a shout as she was filled with a burning truth of this statement. A smile spread across Tatia's face, relief and pride mingling in it.

'Exactly', she breathed gratefully and Elena realised that her previous outburst had merely been intended to nudge her towards her own conclusion. 'You always have a choice Elena', she agreed. 'It's your responsibility to keep a hold of your compassion, your humanity. Just because you're a vampire doesn't mean that you have to be a monster', she finished encouragingly. Elena felt herself swelling with a new optimism, a certainty that she could make this new life work. The warning that Katherine's innermost memories had painted for her was striking enough to never be forgotten. Complacency was not an option, she could fall at all the same hurdles as Katherine had unless she was careful and chose the better way, even if it was the harder way and Damon would always help her to do that. He always had. Damon was the key to everything and all she had needed to do was choose him, let him love her. She and Damon could make anything work, they could truly be happy.

'Well hip hooray for Elena', Katherine's bitter voice suddenly rang out, bitter and resentful. Tatia rounded on her immediately though and fixed her with a steely glare.

'And you don't think that this experience has opened _your_ eyes a little?' she demanded. 'I am glad that Elena was able to learn something from seeing everything that you have gone through, Katherine. But, in all honesty, when I felt the barriers ripple against your ritual I was far more excited about coming here to see you', Tatia went on boldly. Katherine seemed to be a little taken aback and some of the tension left her body.

'Me?' she repeated warily.

'Yes', smiled Tatia, her voice impassioned. 'I've been watching over you your whole life, Katherine. I've seen every good and terrible thing that you have ever done. I was so hoping that once we arrived here, you would remember that girl you used to be, before my mistake ruined your life completely. You have seen how capable you once were of love. I really wanted you to feel that again', she finished pleadingly. Katherine's face teetered on a knife-edge between heart broken and furious.

'They're all gone, she grunted viciously but Tatia shook her head.

'They're not all gone, she disagreed. 'Elena is here, she's your blood, she's your family. One day, you two will be all the family that you have left. Family is important Katherine, you knew that once.' Katherine's face was confused now, emotions that she hadn't felt in years flitting across her face.

'But ... all those years, all those years alone ...' she whispered, a child-like yearning emerging that made Elena want to cry.

'You weren't alone', Tatia shook her head. 'I was always with you.'

Katherine crumbled before their eyes, her eyes closing to shed the last of the moisture in them. Then something within her seemed to snap under the weight of all the unaccustomed emotional turmoil. Her eyes snapped open again and her hand flew up to scrub roughly at her tear-streaked face. When she lowered it again, it was the Katherine that Elena knew, the sly, vindictive smile that was always the precursor of something deadly was unmistakable. Immediately Katherine tensed like a coiled snake and looked condescendingly at Tatia with a glib shrug.

'You're right', Katherine purred, and Elena and Katherine took an involuntary step back from the wild look that had suddenly seized, unsure of what was coming next. 'All of this is because of you', she snapped and then her fangs extended coldly and she launched herself towards Tatia.

'Katherine, no!' shrieked Elena she sprang towards Katherine and Tatia on pure instinct to stop the attack. As if in slow motion Elena looked up and saw all three identical faces flying towards a central point until, at last, the doppelgangers collided. Elena felt her body convulse and the world was ripped away in another searing flash of light.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

**Oooh! It's the penultimate chapter! I would like to point out though that all this was planned out during the summer so if there's anything that doesn't gel with season four, that's because it hadn't happened yet when I came up with this story. I don't own anything except the plot. **

In the grand ballroom of the Sovereign Hotel, Damon used the dagger that Elena had thrown him to viciously hack at the ropes that still bound him. His hands stung and burned as the vervain soaked bindings lashed unavoidably against his skin, but he was grateful that the knife was sharp and sliced through his restraints with relative ease. He cut through the last one with a final burn that caused him to send the dagger skittering away, but he was free. Stefan growled to himself as he watched Damon bound away from the pillar, scrambling across the dance floor on still unsteady legs and his hand reaching towards the spot where Katherine and Elena were still suspended in the air. Stefan's bitterness coursed through him like vinegar. Damon's eagerness to reach Elena made him feel sick. He could see in the desperate speed of his movements how eager he was to reach his destination, how brightly his love burned and how much she meant to him.

'No!' he cried suddenly and Damon stumbled to a halt, his hand descending and now aiming for the floor instead of the girl that they both loved. He twisted around to see Stefan struggling valiantly against his ropes. 'No! You can't touch her', Stefan repeated. Damon glared at him with murder in his surprised eyes.

'What did you just say?' he demanded furiously. Despite his pain, his brother rolled his eyes resentfully.

'I said don't touch her', Stefan hissed as his ropes gave him a particularly sizzling burn. 'The ritual', he clarified. 'If you touch her you might make things worse. Let the ritual finish first and start thinking with your brain for a change instead of ...' but Stefan trailed off as Damon's arm, which had continued to follow its natural downward arc, finally grasped what it had been stretching for all along. He wasn't reaching for Elena, he was reaching for the dagger on the floor. His fingers closed around the gold handle and then he turned to his brother and began striding towards him. His eyes were dark but somehow it wasn't the stormy rage that for so long had been the harbinger of some new torment for Stefan. There was an undeniable sadness in them that couldn't quite be completely masked and something else. Something deep and tearing. _Guilt?_

'I know that', Damon replied as he dropped to a crouch in front of Stefan. 'I wasn't trying to help Elena at the moment. I was trying to help _you'_, he finished in an even voice, all his aggression was gone and replaced with weary resignation. Before Stefan could reply, Damon had ducked behind the pillar and begun sawing through the ropes that bound his brother. Stefan stared straight ahead numbly. Since he and Elena had spoken the previous night, his heart had been a burning hole in his chest, yet now it suddenly felt like it was made of ice. The desperation around his brother's movements flitted through his head again, that love and impatience. It had been for him he realised blankly. As Damon worked on the ropes, Stefan randomly recollected a time from their childhood when the servants had hung a swing from a tree in their orchard and, when his turn came, he had tried to copy Damon's fearless, skyward sweep. Of course, it had been too high and too fast and his young grip had inevitably failed. Even as he had been falling through the air, he had seen the fright on his brother's face as he had darted towards him with his arms outstretched to break his fall. That same desperate panic with which he had just lunged for the dagger. A wave of sadness washed over Stefan as he realised that, back then, he had never doubted for a second that Damon would catch him and he was angered to feel a lump forming in his throat.

At last Damon severed the last rope and Stefan sprang to his feet, turning to face his brother with as much caution as if he were an attacker. His thoughts were completely torn, one half of him boiling over with rage at his brother's betrayal, while the other half brimmed with a thousand memories and ached with the same familial devotion that Stefan had never been able to quench even through Damon's worst times. Damon sighed as he noted Stefan's reaction and he looked away, stretching his arms out to ease the aches that had arisen from them being bent behind him for so long. Stefan rubbed his wrists and glanced at his brother with guarded eyes. He didn't know what to say. He had been so furious with Damon – and with Elena - for what felt like an age now. He had struggled with the crippling urge to kill his brother so many times but in the last few years – since Elena – he had started to see the man that he remembered resurface. Without realising it, as time had passed, an unbearable hope had begun to grow in him that maybe, just maybe, he might get his brother back. Now, standing face to face with Damon, he just felt adrift. The conflicting emotions raged so strongly that he just felt numb.

'It feels like we've been fighting forever', Stefan finally mused, more to himself than to Damon. His brother looked dejectedly at the floor.

'I know', he replied gently. There was a miserable guilt in Damon's eyes as he dared to glance up at his brother's melancholy face. Stefan tried to avoid his gaze but, eventually, there was nothing he could do to avoid his brother's remorseful stare. Damon opened his mouth to say something, his face twisted with indecision. A thousand different responses flitted through his mind but in the end he settled on the only words that he could manage, the only words that seemed to matter. 'I know it's a bit late for a lot of things but ... I'm sorry', he breathed, clearly struggling with the words. Stefan's eyes widened a little in angry disbelief.

'Sorry?' he repeated, but the bitterness in his voice was tempered with exhaustion. 'Somehow I doubt that', he retorted wearily. Damon cast his eyes to the ceiling, nodding faintly as he accepted Stefan's rebuke yet, at the same time, bristled at it.

'You're right. I'm not sorry that she chose me. And I'm never going to apologise for choosing her. There was no way I could help it', he rejoined, his voice heated, then some of the tension seemed to leave his shoulders. 'But I _am_ sorry that you got hurt. Really', he finished sincerely, the words coming with difficulty. It had been a very long time since Damon had apologised to anybody. Stefan gave a snort of disdain and shook his head, anger flooding him at the fact that Damon thought he could heal these wounds with simple words. 'I'm not expecting you to forgive me', Damon responded to Stefan's obvious but wordless derision, then his carefully constructed expression began to crumble and passion seeped into his face. 'But I love her. And she loves me. This is the first time that anyone has... ' he trailed off brokenly. 'I mean, everyone wants you Stefan, everyone's always helped you...', his voice cracked a little at the heartbreaking disparity that had coloured all their relationships. Stefan felt the lump in his throat grow and he clamped his jaw shut against the strong and unidentifiable mixture of emotions that was rising in him. He felt like he was really seeing his brother again for the first time in over a century and he hated that it was so mire in rage and guilt. Slowly all the awful things that he and his brother had done to each other seemed to congeal into one seething ball of bitterness and hatred deep in his stomach and he was so tired of its constant, niggling presence. Damon paused for a moment and his composure seemed to return.

'This is real Stefan', Damon beseeched him, 'for the first time it's real and it just makes everything ... better.' Stefan bit his lip as he remembered the smiles that Damon could coax from Elena where he had failed miserably, even in the depths of her pain. Even then he had known deep down that his brother had been lodged firmly in her heart. 'But if there had been a way that meant you hadn't been caught in the middle ... then I _would_ have taken it', Damon finally finished with wrenching sincerity. _Caught in the middle_, Damon's words echoed around Stefan's head. He was right. Damon had seen her first. It had started with him and now it ended with him. Stefan had always been caught in the middle. He had just never realised it. He looked up with wonder at this new insight and still could not manage to construct any response to his brother's apology. These were words that he had wanted to hear Damon say for over a hundred years. Ever since their transition he had longed to be at peace with his brother. His hope for their eventual reconciliation had lasted for so many years, until Damon had finally worn it down with all his despicable deeds. Stefan felt that yearning deep within him flare again but it only exacerbated the fresh pain from Damon's latest indiscretion.

'I know you love her', Stefan nodded sadly and he turned to look at Elena who still hung in the air, body tensed and locked into the spell. 'I just never expected her to really love you back', he breathed, his voice shaking ever so slightly. Damon felt a pang of hurt at his brother's words but forced himself not to retaliate. He knew that Stefan was still in pain. He also knew that if he was still the monster that he had been when he first returned to Mystic Falls then Stefan would be right. The enormity of the change in him suddenly hit him with its full weight. All at once he didn't seem to mind so much if people expected good of him, because he felt like there was now a chance that he wouldn't let them down. Slowly he followed his brother's gaze to where Elena's head lolled back on her shoulders, her hair streaming down her back.

'And if she does love me?' Damon asked, finally meeting Stefan's eyes again and his brother's face hardened.

'I suppose there's not much I can do about it', Stefan replied coldly. Damon sighed heavily, knowing the he really couldn't expect anything more. This was their stalemate. Damon could only hope that in time Stefan would see how deep his and Elena's love was and that he hadn't knocked another dent in their fraternity for another trivial reason.

At last the brothers stepped forward towards the trio of women who were still gripped by the force of the spell. Elena and Katherine still levitated face to face above the glowing pentagram and Morgan remained sitting cross legged, her head thrown back to the ceiling, neck muscles strained as if she had been frozen in the middle of a scream.

'What do we do?' Stefan breathed, anxiously pacing around them in a circle.

'Wait until the ritual is finished, I suppose', Damon replied uncertainly, moving in the opposite direction to his brother so that he could look directly up at Elena's face. Her eyes were closed and Damon was sure that her features were taut with pain. He had to physically restrain himself from reaching up and pulling her out of the spell's eerie glow that surrounded them.

'Do you think it will work', Stefan looked at his brother cautiously.

'It has to work', Damon nodded vehemently and Stefan believed him. A resenting admiration stirred within him at Damon's certainty that if he tried and loved hard enough then everything would be all right. Suddenly they both rounded the group of women, coming came face to face again. Stefan caught his brother's eyes and there was a wealth of understanding in them, as if they were trying to convey all his justifications for his actions, his guilt, his regret and his confidence that what he had done was the right thing for them all in the long run. Again Stefan remembered the devilish Damon who existed only to torment him and realised just how much that monster had disappeared in the wake of his devotion to Elena. Even Stefan began to wonder if something that affected such a startling and positive change in Damon could really be a bad thing. A fresh wave of anguish washed over Stefan as he realised with startling clarity that, no matter how much he wanted to, he could not hate his brother.

Suddenly however, there was a slight, almost imperceptible stir in the air and Stefan saw Damon's earnest eyes become wide with alarm. As Stefan's own senses just began to flare with warning that there was something wrong, Damon was already lunging towards him. He grabbed Stefan's shirt and yanked him roughly towards him, spinning on the spot so that Stefan was swung around him and staggered to a halt on Damon's other side. Barely a second after Stefan moved, something came whistling across the room and sliced through the air where his head had just been. The heavy missile passed the brothers and smashed violently into the pillar to which Stefan had been tied. Damon and Stefan stared for a moment in disbelief as the small explosion of debris cleared. Embedded in the cracked marble was what looked like a battered metal box. Stefan strayed a step closer, moved by dreadful curiosity but stopped quickly as he realised what he was looking at. It was the glass washing machine from behind the bar, a heavy and bulky piece of equipment. Stefan glanced back at his brother and both their eyes widened as they simultaneously reached the conclusion that something so heavy could only have been thrown by someone supernatural. Damon's face hardened with anger and slowly he and his brother turned around to the point from which the machine had appeared, their bodies tensed and ready to fight. From the shadows at the back of the room there came a low, confident laugh as a figure slowly stepped out of the gloom wearing a victorious smile. Damon and Stefan's jaws dropped in unison as the figure reached the floor with a clicking of stilettos. It was Rebekah.

'I admit that was a little heavy handed but I got your attention', she grinned dangerously.

'You', breathed Damon viciously. 'I don't recall inviting you to this party', he gave her a dark smirk. Rebekah smiled witheringly at him.

'Something tells me that you weren't in charge of the invitations', she retorted, nodding towards the shredded ropes pooled around the bottom of the two pillars. Damon seethed silently.

'What are you doing here, Rebekah?' Stefan growled in a low, threatening voice.

'I'm just here for something to keep my brother happy', she simpered. 'It's the least I can do to cheer him up. After all, he's stuck running around with such an _awful_ face.'

'Really?' Damon's fangs suddenly extended as he thought of Klaus masquerading as Tyler Lockwood, a whole host of opportunities for chaos suddenly open to him. 'And you came alone? There's two of us', he pointed out and was overwhelmingly glad when he glanced at his bother and saw him squaring up next to him, a united force. 'What makes you think we won't rip you in two right now?' he demanded icily. Rebekah shook her head with an indulgent smile.

'You boys', she mused. 'You're all the same. All mouth and no brains', her lips flickered into a dark smile and the Salvatore's bravado faltered slightly. 'Besides, who says I'm alone?' she finished wickedly, then she threw an arm out to her side, clicking her fingers in an unmistakable gesture of instruction. Immediately Damon and Stefan both felt like their brains had exploded, liquefying inside their skulls. They dropped to the ground, clutching their heads and crying out in pain yet through the agony, Damon could recognise the unmistakable hand of a witch.

'You didn't really think you could kill my brother did you?' Rebekah asked rhetorically as she idly wandered around the spellbound group of women, barely paying any attention to Stefan and Damon's torment. 'Believe me, I've tried. It only makes him mad', she smiled warningly. Then suddenly she snapped her head up to the shadows where she had appeared and cried, 'that's enough!' As soon as Rebekah spoke, the pain suddenly evaporated and the brothers were left panting on the ground, desperately trying to recover their senses. Damon coughed as he hauled himself into a sitting position.

'Well, I see you've brought a date', he grimaced. 'Who's the witch?' Rebekah's eyes lit up with glee and Damon felt a stirring of dread as he realised that she had been waiting for this opportunity.

'You know', she replied, 'I am so glad you asked', then she cried out loud, 'you can come out here.' Damon looked towards the murky area at the back of the room and he felt that dread rise up an seize his heart, for out of the darkness, her step shaky and her eyes full of tears, came Bonnie.

'Bonnie!' cried Stefan, his voice full of horror and he staggered to his feet, lunging towards her but he stopped short when Rebekah suddenly moved at vampire speed and appeared at Bonnie's back, her arm a lethal snake around the witch's neck. Bonnie whimpered but said nothing. Her eyes were haunted and her face seemed gaunt somehow, while her whole body trembled. At once Stefan was hit by the crushing realisation that she could have been in the power of the originals since the last time they saw her. Since before Elena's transition.

'I thought you'd be glad to see an old friend', Rebekah gloated. 'Bonnie has been doing all sorts of little errands for us. You see the funny thing about that headache is that it doesn't work on originals.' Once again Damon felt his throat constrict. 'But it is just so useful', Rebekah finished gaily, jostling Bonnie good naturedly with that threatening arm.

'I'm sorry', Bonnie whispered tearfully, 'I'm so sorry, they made me. They were going to kill everyone...' then suddenly Rebekah's arm tightened a little around her neck and cut off her words.

'Stop it' cried Stefan. 'What have you done to her? How long have you been using her?'

'Now let's just all calm down', Rebekah instructed, her voice cold but brooking no refusal and Stefan fell silent. 'I think we should save all questions until the party starts properly, don't you?' Damon narrowed his eyes at her from where he still sat on the floor. Slowly he rose to his feet, making sure that he had recovered his strength first before he made any move.

'You're pretty confident when you're hiding behind a 17 year old girl', Damon pulsed with raw anger and he started to stride towards her. 'How about we make this a fair fight?' he lashed out. Rebekah hissed and suddenly her fangs were out and grazing Bonnie's neck. Damon was forced to stop, frustration gnawing at every part of him. 'You won't kill her. You need her', he snapped, although he still did not renew his advance. Rebekah simply laughed and ran her fangs along Bonnie's tender throat, the skin rising into goosebumps.

'No', she agreed, 'But that doesn't mean I can't hurt her, heal her and then start all over again', she raised her head to sink her fangs in.

'Stop!' cried Stefan. 'Don't hurt her'. Rebekah smiled deviously as she let her fangs slide away.

'That's better', she cooed. 'Besides, we can't start the festivities yet, we're still a few guests short', she nodded towards Elena and Katherine. 'What do you think, witch?' she asked, roughly turning Bonnie in the same direction. 'Do you think they're making progress?' Bonnie watched her friend and suddenly a look of otherworldly concentration drifted over her face, her tears instantly drying.

'Yes', Bonnie nodded, 'I think it's working. I think ... I think it's nearly over.'

'Excellent', Rebekah pushed her roughly away but made sure that she stayed close by her side. 'Then let's get this party started.'

Almost as the words left Rebekah's mouth, the room seemed to grow darker, the air beginning to crackle and sizzle with energy. The pentagram glowed ever more brightly in the increasing gloom and then suddenly it seemed to explode in a light so bright that everyone was forced to drop to the floor, covering their eyes protectively. The scream that seemed to have stuck in Morgan's throat ripped free and echoed around the room then, in a final pulse of energy, Katherine and Elena were forcefully released and flew in opposite directions across the dancefloor. They each thumped to the ground and lay still. Gradually the charge in the air around them seemed to recede towards the pentagram and it glowed brightly for another moment before it was once more black, charred wood. Morgan dropped back, unconscious, hitting the ground and her screams stopped, plunging the room into horrified silence.

Damon was the first to wrench himself back to his feet, every fibre of his being dragging him inexorably towards Elena, everything else in the room completely forgotten. The eagerness that lit up his eyes was all consuming. Even as he was lurching towards her, Elena was already rising to her knees and Stefan watched as his brother bounded excitedly towards her. It was a stab to his heart when she swung her head around, her eyes sweeping the room and they did not even pause when they passed over him. He realised that they were looking only for Damon. When she saw him approaching her whole face became alive with joy. He fell to his knees, skidding across the floor to where her arms were thrown open and waiting for him. Stefan felt the remnants of any hope he might have had die when his brother collided with Elena and her arms clutched him desperately to her. He had never seen her look so happy, not in all their time together and while this realisation was like a physical ache, there was also a tiny place deep within him that was glad to see her so content.

Elena wound her arms around Damon's neck, forcing her hands into his hair and grabbing him as tightly as she could to reassure herself that this was reality and that he was solid and real in her embrace. It felt like she had not held him for an eternity and the warmth that flooded her from his touch was almost overpowering. At last Damon drew back, anxious to look into her eyes and be sure that she was still Elena, still his Elena and part of him almost expected to be disappointed, expected her to tell him that she had changed her mind and go leaping towards his brother. But no, her eyes were shining with elation and she was just as reluctant to relinquish her hold on him as he was on her.

'Are you all right?' he breathed anxiously, stroking her hair and finding every strand exactly as he remembered it. 'Did it work?' he asked, his fingers grazing her cheekbones and prompting sinfully passionate memories from the previous night that made her melt inside.

'Yes', she finally found her voice, her small hands clutching the front of his shirt as if she was afraid that he would try to get away. As she spoke she suddenly realised that the words were resoundingly true. Her head was clear and her body felt strong and alert, she was struck by the rightness of this and could only now appreciate the true horror of the physical state that she had been languishing in since her transition. 'Yes, I feel ... I feel amazing!' she grinned and before Damon realised it she had closed the short distance between them and pressed her lips to his in what felt like their first kiss all over again. Her kiss was like water to a man dying of thirst and for a moment it obliterated all other thoughts from Damon's mind, until suddenly he was aware of a low laugh swirling around them.

Immediately Elena broke away, the sound intruding on her happiness with alien cruelty. For the first time she became sensible of the rest of the room. She saw Stefan kneeling a few feet away from them, defeated and miserable but unable to tear his eyes away from them. She felt an initial rush of gladness that he was safe but the look in his eyes was a fresh stab of guilt to her heart. The laughter was not coming from his direction though and she whipped her head to the other side in confusion. Across the dancefloor, she could see Katherine, just beginning to stir, but the chill that accompanied this was eclipsed when she saw another female rising to her feet, the laugh emanating from her callously twisted lips. Elena shrunk further against Damon's chest and his hold tightened protectively. Her mouth opened, poised with an exclamation of horrified surprise when suddenly she noticed the crumpled body next to Rebekah's feet, cowering and glancing up uncertainly and the words on her tongue changed.

'Bonnie!' she screamed, instinctively hurrying to attend to her friend but Damon held her close and prevented her from moving. She immediately saw the wisdom in this when Rebekah leapt territorially in front of her friend. Confusion gripped Elena and she looked beseechingly at Damon, silently begging him to explain what was going on.

'Well', Rebekah began, hauling Bonnie to her feet next to her and keeping her dangerously close. 'This _is_ a surprise. I didn't think you were capable of making a decision Elena. And even at that I never thought you'd make this one', she giggled wickedly. 'Poor Stefan', she turned to her ex-lover with an overblown pout. 'Guess now you know how it feels to be left behind.' Stefan fumed but managed to restrain himself from reacting however Elena could see his knuckles turning white as his hands balled into fists. Fortunately a sudden, wordless growl interrupted Rebekah's taunting and Elena felt her stomach drop as she realised that Katherine was now smoothing the hair out of her face as she sat upright.

'Please!' Katherine drew out the word sarcastically. 'Did you just come here to torture us with more teenage angst? Because there is more than enough with those three', she nodded viciously towards Elena, Damon and Stefan. 'I think you're a bit old for that are you not?' A hiss escaped Rebekah at once and her eyes flashed. She grabbed Bonnie close again and pointed threateningly at Katherine.

'If it's torture you want I can oblige. Happily', she barked. 'My witch is doing just fine whereas yours...' she spared a glance to Morgan who still lay unconscious on the scorched pentagram. 'Well, she looks like she's seen better days', Rebekah finished goadingly. Katherine's eyes narrowed with rage for a moment, then suddenly she snapped her attention back to Damon and Elena.

'You said you weren't followed', she accused coldly. Damon's face twisted with indignation for a moment but, before he could reply, Rebekah let out another chilling laugh.

'I didn't need to follow you', she gasped through giggles as if the suggestion was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. 'Not with your little blonde friend running off at the mouth constantly. Honestly, that girl just does not know when to keep something to herself.' At Rebekah's words Elena instantly felt her stomach constrict and she glanced quickly between Damon and Stefan, knowing that they had come to the same conclusion. Caroline. Caroline had known everything. And if she thought Klaus was Tyler then there was nothing that she wouldn't have told him. Rebekah was right. They hadn't needed to be followed. Caroline just had to tell them their destination and then they could arrive at their leisure, the element of surprise intact. _Oh Caroline_, thought Elena, simultaneously angry and sympathetic for her friend, who she knew would be crushed once she realised what she had done.

'Where is she? What have you done with Caroline?' Elena demanded. Rebekah cocked her head and smiled.

'Well, I can't vouch for my brother, but whatever it is I'm sure she'll be enjoying it', she grinned. Elena felt a fresh burst of anger as she realised that Caroline still had no idea. It made her sick to think of what she might be doing with Klaus unaware that it wasn't really Tyler in her arms. She closed her eyes in disgust and as she did, she suddenly noticed the smell of blood in the air and the sound of a heartbeat which was racing far too fast. Her eyes flew open again as she realised that it was Bonnie's and she looked more closely at her friend, who was standing close by Rebekah's side.

'How about you Bonnie?' she asked quietly. 'Are you ok?' Bonnie just managed a nod before Rebekah thrust the witch behind her again.

'In case you haven't noticed, she's on my team today', Rebekah spat. 'Now come on, everybody on your feet. It's time to go.' Katherine's head snapped up in alarm, her face livid.

'Go? Where?' she snarled.

'Back to Mystic Falls of course', she replied. 'My brother is _so_ looking forward to seeing you all.'

'I'm not going', replied Katherine flatly, trying to disguise the fear that flitted through her eyes, but she could not hide it from Elena. Rebekah grinned.

'I don't think you have much choice. I'm sure you had some grand notion of bargaining the others off to buy yourself a reprieve – was that your plan?' she asked with mock sympathy. 'Well it's too late. Now you're _all_ coming with me.'

'No!' cried Katherine again, this time with a fearsome hatred that startled Rebekah. Elena looked anxiously between the two ancient vampires as Katherine drew herself up to her full height. 'I might die, but if you think I am going quietly to Klaus with you like some pathetic lamb to the slaughter then you are mistaken. If I have to go, I'm going fighting.' Then before any of them could reason with her, Katherine lunged towards Rebekah.

Rebekah saw her coming and grabbed Bonnie by the arm sharply. Immediately Katherine was felled like a tree. She hit the floor screaming and writhing, clutching her head in agony.

'Does anybody else feel like being a hero?' Rebekah growled and Elena could truly see under that blonde hair how fearsome she really was. Elena glanced at Damon and found herself speechless, Katherine's screams and cries filling up her head.

'It's ok', Damon whispered in her ear, trying his best to sound convincing. 'We've been in tighter spots than this.' His levity, forced though she knew it was, sparked a steely determination in her. She remembered the feeling that had flooded her when she had been inside the strange thought-world of Katherine's mind. The assurance that as long as Damon was with her, everything would be all right. At last Rebekah motioned to Bonnie to release her hold on Katherine and Elena felt a pang of sympathy as she watched her doppelganger curl up on the floor, panting with exhaustion.

'Well', Rebekah began, her eyes now stormier than Elena had ever seen them. 'I was going to save this little surprise for later but my brother promised me that, as a reward for coming here to get you, he would give me something special.' Elena felt herself go cold all over as Rebekah's lips curled into a cruel smile. 'I get to choose one of you, just one... and I get to kill you.'

Elena gasped and once more sought the comfort of Damon's closeness. Rebekah was clearly enjoying the fear that spread through them all like wildfire.

'I was going to wait until we got back where I could make it last, try out some of the wonderful toys that I've not had a chance to use for centuries.' She cocked her head at Damon and her eyes danced with malevolence. 'If you thought the bear traps were bad, you should see the rest.' Damon remembered only too well, although that day the bear traps had not been the most torturous thing that Rebekah had done to him. Although the nightmarish vision that she had created that day paled into insignificance now that he could really hold Elena in his arms and hear her say 'I love you'. 'However', Rebekah continued maliciously, 'since you are so determined to give me problems, I might take that opportunity now. Then the rest of you will know what happens when you cause problems', she growled ominously. 'So, who to choose?' she asked with gleeful malice, letting her predatory eyes run around the room.

Elena looked frantically at Damon as Rebekah strolled easily over to Katherine and nudged her with her foot. The vampire on the floor seemed to have lapsed into unconsciousness and Rebekah's kick provoked no reaction.

'Well', Rebekah grinned down at Katherine's prone form. 'I guess it's not going to be her. Where would the fun in that be? Plus I get the feeling that she's the one that my brother will be most looking forward to seeing', she smiled conspiratorially then she backed up a few steps, surveying the rest of them. 'So who's contestant number 2?' she threw her hands up with mock excitement.

Damon felt Elena's hands fist more tightly in his shirt as if she was terrified of being ripped away from him. He looked down at her and drank in her perfect face, the beautiful chocolate brown pools of her eyes, framed by lashes that were so long they swept her soft cheeks and finally her full, soft lips, the ones that Damon would never tire of kissing. A sudden awful idea resolved in him and he realised what he had to do. It was the only thing he could think of to keep her safe and for that he would risk anything. Suddenly he was disentangling her hands from his clothes and tearing himself from her grasp, stumbling to his feet and squaring his body towards Rebekah. Elena let out a small gasp as his reassuring weight was suddenly gone from her and she remained crouched on the floor, paralysed with horrified shock.

'Well', Damon began cockily, 'I guess that makes me top of the list then doesn't it', he stuck his hands in his pockets, leaning his shoulders back with forced nonchalance. Rebekah froze where she stood at the sound of his voice and very slowly turned to face him, anger flashing in her eyes.

'You think so?' she challenged, a hungry look in her eyes that turned Elena's stomach.

'I think so', replied Damon. 'Let's face it, you're not going to take a swing at lover boy there', he nodded towards Stefan who looked as equally bewildered as Elena. 'I'd put money on you still nursing a tiny little hope that one day he'll see the error of his ways and come running back, don't you?' he carried on tauntingly. Rebecca's face tried to maintain its unperturbed expression but the corners of her mouth were starting to twitch slightly in fury.

'Damon what are you doing?' hissed Elena desperately, still unable to move in her bafflement. If Damon heard her, however, he made no indication and didn't take his eyes from Rebekah, continuing his verbal assault on her.

'I'm also relatively sure that Klaus is still more interested in Elena than you let on so I reckon he'd have words for you if you didn't bring her back in one piece. So it can't be her', Damon went on merrily, his eyes growing cloudier and cloudier. 'Because let's face it, you can't upset your brother. I mean, how is he going to keep giving you all that attention if you don't _earn_ it', Damon crowed. Elena felt her blood freeze in her veins as her mind boggled at the recklessness of Damon's actions and then all of a sudden it hit her. She knew what he was doing. She looked frantically towards Stefan and realised from his aghast expression that he had also just cottoned on to Damon's train of thought.

'So that just leaves me. And aren't I the worst one?' he asked harshly, the devilishly playful note now completely gone from his voice. 'That's what I'm always told anyway. It'll just be Damon getting the pointy end of the stake yet again', he spat bitterly, a half truth ringing in his words. And Elena couldn't bear it anymore. She knew that her suspicion was right. He was deliberately goading Rebekah so that she would kill him then Elena and Stefan would be spared, at least until they got back to Mystic Falls and Klaus, but perhaps that would buy them enough time to come up with a plan. He was trying to give up his life for hers, sacrifice himself just like he had always told her he would if it was necessary. She felt tears spring to her eyes and an immense certainty that she couldn't let him do this flooded violently into her.

'No!' she cried, springing to her feet without another thought. 'Klaus isn't that interested in me. In fact I think he would miss me the least now that I'm not human any more', she rambled, vying for Rebekah's attention. The fury on Rebekah's face broke and she looked at Elena, startled. Damon also turned to face her, manic anger in his face.

'Elena what are you doing?' he cried but Elena ignored him.

'I slept with Stefan', she cried to Rebekah, tears filling her eyes as he tried to divert her attention away from Damon.

'Elena I told you, you don't have to prove anything to me', Damon begged her anxiously, his cool demeanour deserting him. Rebekah now looked utterly baffled.

'And Klaus wanted my blood more than he wanted you', Elena continued, anguish in her voice. Damon felt panic rising in him as he realised that Elena was doing exactly the same thing as he was and would not back down. He furiously snapped his head back to Rebekah.

'Come on, I'm the one who slept with _you_ and then didn't want anything else to do with you', he rejoined the fight. Rebekah's shock was turning to rage again and Elena could almost have sworn that there were tears behind her eyes. Stefan watched the whole scene play out with appalled fascination. He couldn't believe that his brother would be so selfless or that Elena loved him so much that they would fight to the death to ensure the other's safety. Something inside of him was moved at the thought. Even Bonnie wore a dumbfounded gaze of wondrous incredulity where she peeked out from behind Rebekah's shoulder.

'Damon, I'm not going to stop this', Elena growled, rounding on him with glassy eyes. He finally met her gaze and it almost broke her heart.

'I'm not going to watch you die!' he shouted passionately.

'Then you know that I can't do that either', she roared back wretchedly.

'Enough!' screamed Rebekah and it was enough to jolt both Damon and Elena into silence. They stood looking at each other, an excruciating pain in their eyes as they both feared that this may be the last time that they got to do so. 'Enough!' repeated Rebekah and slowly they turned to face her. 'You were right, Damon', snarled Rebekah, 'you were top of the list, but do you know what? I think you would rather die than watch me kill your little girlfriend, wouldn't you? So you've just made my choice for me – and I don't need a stake. I'm going to do this the old fashioned way!' she bared her fangs. And before either of them could respond, Rebekah had turned on Elena and tensed to advance.

Damon's eyes widened with horror and a cry sprung to his lip, but the sound was never released. All at once everything seemed to happen far too quickly and chaos erupted around them. Rebekah started towards Elena at a frightening pace but as she passed Katherine's lifeless body, still lying on the floor, a hand shot out and latched onto her ankle. Elena gasped as she realised that Katherine was not unconscious at all. She had just been doing what she did best and playing the game, her usual deviousness always at the fore. Rebekah noticed too late and she came crashing to the ground. The brief distraction was all it took for Stefan to be on his feet and diving towards Bonnie. He grabbed her around the waist and wrenched her across the room to the cover of the shadows, effectively removing Rebekah's most powerful weapon. On the floor, Katherine had already crawled over Rebekah's back, scrabbling and fighting for all she was worth. Elena watched in disbelief wondering if Katherine had just saved her, or just taken advantage of the situation to save herself. She suddenly remembered in vivid detail all the things that she seen in Katherine's mind, the happy child, the disgraced woman and the bereaved daughter. The girl who loved her family and would have done anything to save them. Tatia's words were suddenly ringing loudly in Elena's ears. _One day you two will be all the family that you have left. _

Elena thought of Jeremy and Jenna and her parents and thought quickly of all the things that she would happily submit to to keep them safe. Then all at once she remembered Matt, her brother in all but blood. Everything that he had done for her since he appeared in that bathroom flashed through her mind and she recalled how she forgotten him earlier in her panic and he had become lost. Now that her head was clear it took her only a second to think of Matt and all of a sudden, in the midst of the bedlam that surrounded them, the air wavered and he appeared.

'Matt!' she gasped. 'Are you ok?'

'You can see me!' Matt cried with frenetic joy. 'I've been trying to get through since before the ritual but you couldn't ... I'm so glad you see me', he rambled. Elena felt a smile growing across her face at the sight of her friend.

'Is everything ok, Matt', she repeated ,reaching her hand out instinctively to comfort him, but remembering at the last minute that there was nothing for her to touch. She was gripped by worry as Matt's face suddenly fell.

'No, they've found my Mom Elena, she's on her way. I don't have long left', he admitted. Elena's face became suddenly grave and she was lost for words in the light of this new predicament. Her thoughts were abruptly derailed, however, when she felt an insistent tugging at her elbow and she looked up to see Damon, frantically gesturing for her to follow.

'Come on, who are you talking to?' he urged her. 'We have to get out of here.' Elena glanced between Damon, Matt and Rebekah and Katherine still wrestling on the floor, all three issues clamouring for her attention. Finally she picked the most pressing.

'But what about Katherine?' Elena gasped, looking back to where Rebekah was now on top and slowly managing to pin Katherine down. Damon and Matt both looked at her as if she had just lost her mind.

'What about Katherine?' Damon asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

'We can't leave her. Rebekah's an original, there's no way she can beat her off alone', Elena worried, edging back towards the affray again.

'Elena! Elena, come on!' she suddenly heard Bonnie's voice, calling to her from the other end of the room. Now that she was free from Rebekah's clutches, she seemed to have regained much of her spirit and she beckoned fiercely.

'Go Elena', Matt pressed, 'run while those two are keeping each other busy', he nodded towards Katherine and Rebekah. Elena heard them all but nonetheless she felt a painful resolution within her and she turned to Damon, her eyes full of apologies.

'I have to help her, Damon', she cried, 'I can't explain but during the ritual I saw ... ' but she trailed off not knowing where to begin or having the time to come to a decision. 'Please trust me, I have to help her', she begged. Damon's frustration was agonisingly evident on his face.

'Why Elena?' he beseeched her hastily.

'She saved me', Elena pointed out flatly.

'Elena, she saved herself and you should do the same. Do you really think that she would do it for you?' he pointed out, trying to guide her again towards Bonnie and Stefan, who were bouncing impatiently near the door, but Elena pulled back determinedly.

'Maybe not', she agreed. 'But I'm not, her. That's the point. I'm choosing the better way', and at her words, Damon's expression melted into a look of sad admiration. Elena didn't pause to dwell on it though as she tossed herself sideways, barrelling into Rebekah and knocking her clean off Katherine's struggling body. In a spectacular tackle, Rebekah was thrown clean across the room and Elena thumped to the ground next to Katherine, the whole room falling into a deadly silence. For a moment everything in the world around them seemed to slow down. From where Elena lay, flat on her stomach, she looked over and realised that Katherine was lying only a few feet away, laid out on her back, her arms thrown out at her sides from the sudden shock of having Rebekah so violently torn away. Elena could feel the varnished dancefloor beneath her cheek and the already receding ache in her hip from where she had fallen as she looked into her doppelganger's eyes. For once they were wide and guileless and for a moment there was a tinge of what Elena thought might have been gratitude or affection swimming in them. Her outstretched arm was very close to Katherine's and slowly, as Elena held her eyes, trying to tell her that her life _could_ change, her pinkie brushed very briefly against her doppelgangers. Katherine's eyes grew misty for a moment and for a brief shining second, Elena wondered if she might actually be reaching her. Then all of a sudden there was a roar in the air as Rebekah pulled herself upright again and the moment was shattered.

Elena yanked herself upwards and turned in time to see a dreadful sight. Rebekah had landed right at the same spot as the stake that Damon had used to despatch Katherine's henchman earlier in the evening. Her manicured fingers were already closing on it and she was spinning back into an attack position. Her face was livid and her eyes red and flaming with a lethal fury. Quickly they latched onto Damon and a vicious smile grew.

'You're right', she snarled, 'maybe you are top of the list.' Then she was charging towards him. Elena felt the world rock around her as she saw Rebekah lunging at Damon with the stake, everything within her screaming with horror. She felt a wall of air buffet her from the side and she knew that Katherine was already on her feet and running then suddenly she felt her own legs pump into motion, driven by the overwhelming urge to get to Damon. From the depths of her being she just knew that she had to reach him.

Damon watched Rebekah coming for him and suddenly he felt very calm. He knew that he didn't stand a chance against an original like this and all he could feel was a heartbreaking disappointment that he should die just as he'd found happiness. In the second that Rebekah crossed the distance between them he mourned the life that he might have had with Elena and only hoped that if he died now, it would spare the rest of them long enough to escape. He closed his eyes in acceptance and felt Rebekah close in on him. Then suddenly he felt something else.

His eyes flew open again just as Elena dove towards him, placing herself between him and Rebekah at the last possible moment.

'Elena, no!' shrieked Matt, leaping forward as if he could stop her but it was to no avail. The stake that had been meant for the man she loved pierced her chest and Damon watched in anguish as it plunged into her heart. Time stopped for Elena and she saw Matt, his mouth wide in a horrified scream, then suddenly he disappeared completely with violent abruptness. Then all that was left was Damon, his arms, his face, his chest. Damon was there. He was with her and she was happy and then she knew no more.

She was driven back into his arms from the force of Rebekah's blow and suddenly the blonde vampire staggered back, shock etched across her features at what had just happened. Damon looked down at Elena's lifeless face and felt a numbness creep over him.

'Damon!' came a sudden shout, cutting through his fractured thoughts and he looked up to see Katherine. She had ripped the ruined chunk of metal that Rebekah had thrown earlier out of the pillar and launched it into the air. Damon watched as it headed directly for the huge chandelier above them and as it connected with a shower of electrical sparks, he tightened his hold on Elena and sped her to the other side of the room. Rebekah still stood looking after them in shock when the chandelier came crashing down on top of her in a shower of debris.

A sickening silence followed the unearthly din of the falling chandelier and then slowly the dust began to settle. Soundlessly, Stefan and Bonnie emerged from the shadowy bar and Katherine hurried over from her spot at the pillar. They both rounded the pile of twisted metal and shattered crystal and gasped as one at what they saw.

Damon was kneeling on the floor, tears that felt alien to him were threatening to spill from his eyes as he cradled Elena against his chest. Her eyes were closed and the stake still protruded painfully from her breast. Damon dazedly stroked her hair and muttered softly to her, willing her to wake because his heart could just not comprehend the alternative. But it was no use. Elena's body was utterly still.

**AN: Oh no! Is this the end? Er ... well ... no! There's one more chapter to go and you know I love a cliffie so I beg you, please don't get mad until you've read the last one! I'll try to have it up on Friday. X **


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28**

**Well here it is, after nearly 6 months – it's the last chapter. Hope nobody was too mad at me for the end of the last one. Anyway, on with the show, I'll leave another note at the end so you can get straight to the action. I don't own anything except the plot. **

A thick, funereal silence settled across the group as they gazed in horror at Elena lying lifeless in Damon's arms. Stefan took a step forward, his heart shattering in his chest like one of the fallen crystals but he stopped short of dropping at Elena's side when he really looked closely at Damon's face. His brother was still talking softly into Elena's ear, brushing his nose against her cheek as if the contact could somehow wake her. But it didn't and a tear spilled from his eye before he reared back and unleashed a wordless roar of despair towards the ceiling. Stefan had never seen his brother in such desolation. Not through all their misadventures had he seen Damon so unbearably broken under his grief. Not with Katherine or any time since. His pain was palpable. Without really noticing what he was doing, Stefan began to draw closer again and he sunk to his knees, his hand coming to rest on his brother's shoulder.

If Damon was aware of the gesture, he did not show it but he didn't pull away either and both brothers looked at Elena's peaceful face with devastation in their eyes. All at once Damon felt a sudden, stark rush of memories burn through him, Elena shining brightly in every one. He remembered the first time he saw her, bright and full of life that late night in the forest when she was still a stranger and then a time on a different road when he had pulled her half dead from a mangled car, adoring the weight of her collapsing into his arms. He remembered the first time that he tried to kiss her, when he thought she had been compelled, receiving a vicious slap in the process and then he remembered the way she had rushed at him both in Denver and in the hotel room the previous night, desperate for his embrace. He remembered the first time that he visited her house with Caroline and he had followed her to the kitchen to torment her, but she had still spoken kindly to him and it had felt like the first compassionate words he had heard for an age. Then he also remembered the furious barbs she directed at him when he broke her brother's neck. And that was just the beginning. Every tentative look and every sizzling touch flitted through his head. They had circled the entire globe of emotions from suspicion and hatred to friendship, lust and finally love. They had been enemies, friends, confidantes and lovers, they had been everything to each other. So many wonderful, jarring memories clashing together in a symphony of fulfilment. To think that this moment now might be the last was too huge an emotion for Damon to even begin to experience.

Slowly Bonnie began to drift towards them from where she had been standing next to Katherine, her head shaking in disbelief and tears running freely down her face. A sob worked up into her throat as she too knelt next to Elena, her best friend, the friend who had been there for her for as long as she could remember. She recalled the last few weeks and how she had avoided them all when they really needed her. It had all been to keep them safe, to keep Klaus as far from them as possible but Elena had died not knowing that. A fresh surge of grief claimed Bonnie as she thought of what Elena's last thoughts of her must be and with another sob she reached forward and clasped her friend's hand wretchedly.

The suddenly Bonnie felt something.

Bonnie's power responded to life, reacted to the vital force that coursed through every living thing ... but Elena was dead. Technically, even in her vampire state she had been dead. There was no way that Bonnie should have been able to feel a light, pulse of energy, vibrating under her touch like a bird's heart.

But she did.

Immediately, Bonnie dropped Elena's hand and looked up towards Stefan and Damon, her eyes wide with astonishment and a flicker of cautious excitement.

'Something's strange', she breathed, afraid to let herself believe that there might be any kind of chance for her friend. Stefan looked at her with painful sympathy and shook his head sadly.

'No, Bonnie, it's over. Don't torture yourself', he replied quietly. 'It's over.'

'No', Damon suddenly snarled, finally seeming sensible of his brother's presence and shrugging his hand off his shoulder. 'It can't be over', he continued adamantly and then he was looking directly at Bonnie, his eyes glistening like sapphires. 'What do you feel, what can you do?' Bonnie looked helplessly at him for a moment, then she forced her brain into motion.

'Lie her down', Bonnie suddenly instructed, desperately trying not to allow her thundering heart to allow entry to the yearning that was pressing steadily against it. If possible, Damon's face looked even more distraught as her words plagued him once more with hope. Gently he lay Elena flat on the floor and slid back a little from her, letting his hands cradle her face until the last possible moment, as if she might turn to dust when he let go. Stefan hovered over his brother's shoulder and watched with similar anticipation.

Bonnie scooted closer to Elena and took her hands again. Her stomach jolted with relief as she realised that she could still feel it - the slight buzzing , like an electric tingle that communicated directly with the magical side of Bonnie's soul. She concentrated as hard as she could on the sensation and slowly she began to recognise recognition began to dawn. Suddenly her head flew up urgently.

'It's magic', she gasped. 'That's what I can feel, it's like a spell or ... like the residue of a spell is still clinging to her', she tried to explain but her voice was confused.

'So what does that mean?' Damon insisted, his whole body twitching with impatience. Bonnie continued to look bewildered, her mind racing for answers.

'The link?' she asked uncertainly, twisting to look at Katherine who still stood, surveying the scene with a dull expression of amazement that seemed to have rooted her to the spot. 'Is there still any connection?' she begged but Katherine slowly shook her head.

'None. The ritual was complete. The link was closed', she replied regretfully, her face impossible to read but her voice quiet and tremulous, with a sincerity that neither Stefan nor Damon had heard before. Bonnie turned back to Elena and smoothed a strand of hair from her friend's face, allowing the force that surrounded the dead vampire to flow up her arm and across her body. Then suddenly her eyes lit up and a smile tugged at her lips.

'Of course', she suddenly breathed. 'That's it, it all makes sense.' Then, with a renewed vigour, she reached eagerly for the stake that was still skewering Elena's heart. Stefan and Damon both let out wordless cries of alarm and lunged forward to stop her, but, before they could, she had taken a steady grip and wrenched the stake from Elena's chest. All of a sudden there was a deep but invisible pulse of energy that centred on Elena and rippled out across the rest of them, freezing them where they stood, transfixed by penetrating beat. The room seemed to take a deep breath and each one of them was ensnared in the hopeful pause. For a moment nothing happened and the world seemed to stop turning, the silence becoming so thick that it was suffocating . Then suddenly Elena's eyes flew open and she gasped, a violent, inverse scream as she sat bolt upright.

Everyone jumped in unison, startled by her sudden action then they became still again, utter amazement stealing away all capability for reaction. The sight of her moving was almost too much for Damon to bear. It couldn't be true, there was no way that something this stupendous could ever happen to him. Elena looked herself up and down, just in time to see the wound on chest closing over, melting away to nothing and that ragged, rapidly diminishing gash was enough to bring the events of the last few minutes blazing to the front of her mind. She snapped her head up towards Damon and met his wide, tear filled eyes. He wanted to move, wanted to touch her but his body wouldn't obey, just in case this illusion should shatter before him. The look on his face almost broke her heart all over again.

'Wow', Elena breathed faintly. 'I guess I did manage to prove how much I love you', and her mouth flickered with the beginnings of a hesitant smile. A fierce, shaky breath that Damon was not aware he had been holding rushed out of him and suddenly he could make his limbs move. He burst forward and before she knew it she was in his arms again, stroking him and soothing him as he released the built up mixture of grief, sorrow and relief in a single groan. He peppered her face with desperate kisses that were both an agony and a joy and then finally he reached her lips. Those wonderful lips that he had though were lost to him forever. Then finally he pulled back, taking her face gently in his hands and looking deep into her eyes.

'You did', he agreed, his face so full of wonder that he could have been a child again. 'And if you ever do that again, I will kill you myself', he joked shakily. Dizzy with relief, a burst of laughter escaped Elena and he briefly enfolded her in his arms again. When she drew back a moment later, Damon seemed to have regained his composure and the wild happiness that thrummed through him was only evident in his shining eyes. She could have looked into his eyes forever at that point. They looked utterly content, complete. However suddenly she heard her name behind her, the voice wavering and uncertain. She turned in the circle of Damon's arms and saw Bonnie at her back. Her hands were covering her tear streaked cheeks and her eyes were beseeching, begging Elena to give her the chance to explain her apparent desertion. However, Elena didn't give her that chance. No explanation was necessary. She broke out of Damon's grip and threw her arms around Bonnie, pulling her friend into a fierce hug.

'I'm sorry', Bonnie sobbed into Elena's shoudler. 'They made me do it. Klaus got to me before your transition. He threatened to kill Jeremy and Tyler unless I helped and I couldn't use my powers on _them_ so I had to do what they wanted. I thought if I kept away from you then they couldn't force any more information out of me', she rambled, barely coherent but Elena had known Bonnie for so long that she understood perfectly. 'Of course then Caroline came along and told them everything', Bonnie's eyes became sad again. 'They kept me away from her, I couldn't warn her', she blurted out. 'When Rebekah told me that she was bringing me here as her 'secret weapon' I just hoped ... hoped that maybe you would be able to get me away from her. And you did ... you did ...'

'Shhhh, Bonnie', Elena soothed her friend, tightening her hold on her comfortingly. 'It's forgotten, water under the bridge.' And between such old friends, that was all the apology necessary to restore their relationship to its previous strength. As Elena held Bonnie, she looked over her shoulder and could see Stefan still kneeling in exactly the same spot, he hadn't moved since she awoke. She caught his eye and held his gaze for a moment. There was still a melancholy in the crease of his brow but in his look she saw relief, as though he had been released from something that had been weighing him down for years. She smiled tentatively at him and, even though it did not reach his lips, she thought she saw reciprocation in his deep, dark eyes. As contentment began to sweep through her, she stroked Bonnie's hair again and whispered, 'it's all right. Everything's going to be all right.'

'But how?' Stefan's voice suddenly broke free. 'I mean, what did you do Bonnie?' Bonnie pulled back from Elena finally and a smile spread across her face as her sobs subsided.

'I didn't do anything', she replied with a teary laugh. 'It was Matt.' She watched with satisfaction as everyone's eyes widened. Elena felt a rush of alarm as she realised that she couldn't see Matt anymore, but Bonnie thwarted the cry that was forming on her lips by clamping her hand on Elena's wrist.

'It was the spell', she explained softly. 'That was what I could feel still buzzing around you. If it was nothing to do with the doppelganger link then the only other magic that you've been exposed to recently is ...'

'The link with Matt', Damon finished for her, his eyes filling with understanding. Bonnie nodded with a sage smile.

'But ... I thought if one of them died ...' Stefan began gingerly, afraid to finish the sentence. Bonnie laughed.

'I didn't feel death in the spell', she reported. 'All I could feel was life, it was bursting with life. I think when Elena and Alaric died and the spell snapped back, binding onto Matt ... well ... I think the spell flipped. Maybe it was the recoil of such strong magic or maybe it was affected by the benevolence of Elena putting Matt's life before her own in the car that night. But I think the spell became completely reversed, so that instead of the vampire not being able to live when the human dies ...'

'The vampire wasn't able to die while the human lives!' finished Damon excitedly and Elena's jaw dropped.

'Because Matt is technically still alive on the machines in the hospital – Elena couldn't die!' Stefan marvelled. Bonnie nodded happily and Elena's face slowly grew brighter and brighter.

'So Matt is ...?' Elena began, barely daring to hope but Bonnie's smile allayed her fears almost immediately.

'I would think that Matt is in the hospital waking up right about now', she grinned. 'The spell reached its resolution. It's complete. No Matt link, no doppelganger link, you're 100% spell free', she finished good-naturedly. Elena gave a short whoop of pure elation and hugged Bonnie again before scrambling back across the floor to Damon's arms. She placed a chaste peck on his lips before pulling back with an admonishing glare.

'So that means you had better be nice to Matt from now on', she thumped his chest playfully. Damon felt a burst of laughter bubble up in him, then he was hit heavily by how surreal the situation was, joking and laughing when only moments ago he thought that he'd never do either of those things again. All of a sudden, the reality rushed in on him. It was real, this wasn't a temporary tease, the rug was not about to be pulled out from under him – Elena was here with him and no spell or doppelganger nonsense was going to take her away from him.

'Believe me', he rejoined amiably. 'He's not just back on the Christmas card list, he's gone straight to the top of it', he grinned and felt his body hum with satisfaction when she laughed.

Suddenly, however, their good humour was cut short when they heard the rumble of falling plaster behind them. They turned as one to the heap of rubble that had once been the glorious chandelier and sobered when they saw some mortar, falling from the pile in a shower of dust. Suddenly a hand broke though the seemingly immovable heap and began clawing at the debris, causing more of it to tumble down.

'Rebekah', hissed Elena and slowly each one of them rose to their feet, squarely facing the ruined chandelier and forming a united line of defence as Rebekah doggedly tore her way out of the wreckage. When at last she burst forth, her clothes were torn and filthy and her hair dark and matted. Any injuries she might have sustained had already healed but her eyes still blazed with fury as she staggered free.

'I'd stop there if I were you', Elena's voice rang out coldly and Rebekah suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw Elena standing before her, alive and well, flanked on either side by Damon and Stefan.

'I killed you, you're dead ... how ...?' she growled brokenly, a hint of uncertainty crossing her face.

'Apparently not', Elena replied tersely, 'and that's all you need to know.' The doubt in Rebekah's face increased and suddenly she was backing a few steps away instead of advancing.

'And I think you should know', Bonnie's voice suddenly piped up, 'that, as far as we knew at the time, Elena was linked to Matt and her death would kill them both. It seems, luckily, that we were a little misguided on that point but Klaus didn't tell you that, did he? He made me promise not to tell you. How would it have felt if you had just killed Matt, Rebekah?' she asked accusingly. This time the original vampire's face fell completely, her eyes widening with shock at what might have happened, her feelings for Matt still clearly bubbling at the back of her mind. She was completely lost for words, her menace fragmenting around her. 'Maybe next time you should think before you act', Bonnie finished, her voice strong but acidic, railing against Rebekah's recent treatment of her.

'I think you should _also_ know that _you_ are now outnumbered and no witch is going to help you this time', Damon suddenly joined in, his voice dark and predatory. The urge to leap forward and tear Rebekah's head from her shoulders was so strong right now that only the solid presence of Elena's shoulder against his own was keeping him from surrendering to his impulse. Rebekah glanced back and forward as if confirming the truth of this and then her face twisted with frustration.

'All right', she finally conceded, then she gave a snort of derision. 'You think you've won but my brother will come back stronger than before. Just wait...' she threatened, but in her powerless state she merely sounded pathetic.

'Actually', Damon continued, 'I think it's you that may have to be wary of your brother. He's not going to be pleased when you return empty handed, is he?' Rebekah fumed silently, unable to respond and made a tight, sharp move towards Damon, but as one Damon, Elena and Stefan all readied themselves for her, fangs extended and eyes red. Her step suddenly faltered as she assessed the odds and she recoiled like a snake. She shook her head furiously.

'Next time', she hissed violently. 'Just wait!' And then with an almighty gust of wind that stirred up the dust surrounding them into a choking cloud, Rebekah was gone. When the air cleared they all looked around in bewilderment, but Rebekah had made her escape.

'I wish she came to more parties', Damon observed wryly and Elena rolled her eyes, slipping her hand into his gratefully. She cast a glance at Stefan, trying to convey her gratitude for his standing alongside them. He met her gaze for only a second and gave an almost imperceptible nod before he turned away again.

'Where has she gone?' asked Bonnie anxiously.

'Who knows?' Damon threw a dismissive hand in the air as he led Elena away from the rubble and towards the door of the function suite. 'Maybe home to face the music with Klaus or ... well ... I wouldn't put it past her to go on the run. I certainly wouldn't want to face her brother after failing as spectacularly as she did.' Elena gave him a slightly reproving glare but couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. Then suddenly another thought seized her. _On the run_.

She yanked her hand out of Damon's and swung back into the room, her head swivelling frantically from side to side before she turned back to them, her face one great unanswered question.

'Where's Katherine?' she cried incredulously. At once everyone became aware of the sneaky vampire's absence but couldn't quite place when they had last seen her.

'The witch, Morgan', Stefan suddenly gasped, pointing towards the pentagram on the floor and Elena's brow furrowed in consternation as she realised that Morgan had disappeared too.

'Was she here before? I haven't seen her since I woke up', Elena cried and there was a tinge of regret in her voice.

'Yes', Bonnie replied, 'she _was_ here ... when you were unconscious ... but I don't remember seeing her after that.'

'She must have used the confusion when you woke up to slip away', Damon rolled his eyes. 'We were all so caught up in Elena that we would never have noticed her grabbing the witch and sneaking off.'

'But she can't have', Elena shook her head and began rounding the pile of rubble in the centre of the room, searching for her doppelganger.

'Believe me, it's her speciality!' Damon rejoined. 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. She'll be off licking her wounds and planning how to come back even more annoying. I doubt we've seen the last of her.' Elena watched him as he gave an unsurprised shake of his head, just a little bitterness in his eyes. She was surprised that she actually felt upset about Katherine's disappearance. Over the last couple of hours she had felt almost close to her and part of her felt a little aggrieved at not getting to speak to her, try to make her see that she could still change. She reluctantly recognised the shocking truth that she would have at least liked to say goodbye. Yet somewhere deep within her, she knew that Damon was right. Their paths would cross again. And Elena realised that, somehow, she was morbidly looking forward to it. She continued to make them scour the room for a few minutes more, checking the bar, cloakroom and recesses but it was no use. Like a passing gust of wind, Katherine had disappeared.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. They slipped quietly from the function area of the hotel and returned to their rooms, Stefan letting Bonnie use his while Elena gratefully let Damon lead her back to her own. She shuddered as she thought of the carnage that had been left in Damon's room but in her hazy happiness she could easily push the bad memories from her mind.

She was craving a shower to get the dirt and grime off her skin and hair and she would gladly have slept for a little while until all the events of the past few days felt like nothing more than a horrible nightmare. But once Damon slunk irresistibly into the shower and began lathering the shampoo into her hair with expert fingers, she knew that sleep would never be an option. When they lay in a tangled heap of limbs afterwards, exhausted and fighting off sleep so that they could enjoy the moment just a little longer, she stared deeply into his eyes and was so completely content that her lips seemed to move of their own accord.

'I love you', she murmured softly. Damon gave her a sleepy smile that overflowed with fulfilment.

'I am never going to get tired of hearing that', he grinned and his hand stroked gently over the curve of her hip and settled around her waist. He pulled her tight against him and gave her a lazy, delicious kiss. 'I love you too', he replied, moving to stroke her hair, his fingers finally brushing her lips and dancing across her neck. She sighed happily and snuggled into the crook of his arm, trailing her fingers across his chest absent mindedly. They lay together quietly for a while, simply basking in each other's touch before Elena finally allowed the outside world to begin to seep into her mind again.

'What are we going to do now?' she asked presently, her voice now coloured by a shade of anxiety. Damon smiled and nuzzled against the top of her head.

'We just keep going', he replied. 'I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to it', he smirked wickedly, his hand wandering down her thigh and hitching her leg up over his waist. Elena grinned in spite of herself and, although she allowed him to pull her closer, she pushed against his shoulder to keep him back slightly so that she could look into his eyes.

'I'm serious, Damon', she told him, her eyes clouding slightly with worry. 'Klaus and Rebekah are still roaming free and I doubt that they're going to quickly forgive what happened today, not to mention the fact that Caroline still thinks Klaus is Tyler. I just don't think we're out of the woods yet', she fretted. Damon smiled at her and took her face in his hand, his thumb stroking her cheek soothingly.

'Yep', he agreed, 'that's true. But that's life, Elena', he continued gently. 'It isn't like a movie. You don't reach the finale and then suddenly everyone lives happily ever after. You've got to keep fighting', he smiled encouragingly. 'Sometimes things will be plain sailing but obstacles _will_ always come up, but you know what? We'll overcome them. Because I promise that whatever else happens, I will keep fighting for you. Every day. Forever.' As he spoke a broad grin spread across Elena's face, his lulling touch on her cheek making it seem like any danger they might face was laughable. Slowly she found herself nodding. He was right. They would go home and they would deal with their problems one at a time. As long as they had each other nothing was insurmountable.

'I promise that too', she finally whispered and then he pulled her into another kiss that made every other worry flee from her mind.

Eventually the afternoon rolled around and they finally managed to climb from the bed and gather their things together. Elena found herself once more sitting on the love seat in the reception area, only this time she was alone and suffused with a glowing happiness. She heard a few murmurs from staff and bypassers about a terrible accident that had happened in the grand ballroom, that a freak tremor had brought down the chandelier and Elena had to stifle a smile. She turned away from the conversation so that she wouldn't be seen laughing and suddenly found herself facing reception, just as Stefan was turning away from the desk, his bag in hand. His eyes met Elena's immediately and she knew that there was no way she could avoid him.

'Hey', she greeted him shyly.

'Hi', he replied with a seriousness that she found unutterably sad. They then lapsed into an uneasy silence and Elena found herself gazing desperately around the room, racking her brain for something to say. When it came to her, she blurted it out in her eagerness to ease the awkwardness.

'Jeremy called earlier', she told him and she felt frustrated that her voice sounded so unnatural. 'He said that Matt is awake and doing fine. His Mom arrived about twenty minutes after he woke up', she pointed out gravely.

'Just in time then', Stefan replied, raising his eyebrows. 'I'm glad he's ok.' Elena nodded and felt her stomach drop as the silence took hold again. This time it was Stefan who broke it. 'So where's Damon?' he asked, his eyes growing considerably duller.

'He said he had something to do', Elena replied, 'But he should be here any minute.' Now it was Stefan's turn to nod mutely and he heaved his bag higher onto his shoulder. 'Where are you going?' Elena finally asked, her voice quiet but at least recognisable as her own now. Stefan looked at the ground but his face seemed to soften slightly.

'I'm going to fly home with Bonnie. Make sure she's safe', he started. Elena smiled understandingly. She had meant his long term plans because Bonnie had already told her this much before they said goodbye a few minutes before. But she didn't want to correct him. He seemed to sense this though and continued, still avoiding her gaze. 'After that I reckon I've got a few days while you and Damon are driving back to sort some things out. Then I'm leaving. At least for a while.' Elena felt sad but she respected his decision.

'For what it's worth, thank you', she told him sincerely. 'For this, for ... everything.'

'I just wanted to make sure you were all right', he shrugged morosely. 'But I know you'll be fine now.' He heaved a great sigh as though his next words were difficult to get out. 'Damon ... Damon looks after the things he loves', he finished wistfully. Elena felt her heart ache a little as she thought of the Stefan that she had first met a lifetime ago.

'You know that goes for you too, right?' she observed gently and slowly Stefan's head came up, finally meeting her gaze. The previously immovable misery that hung around him seemed to thaw before her eyes slightly and she was please to see a tiny spark of life in his face once again. They held each other's eyes for a moment, remorse, guilt and latent tenderness passing wordlessly between them.

'Well', Stefan finally broke the connection and turned away. 'Bonnie's waiting, I'd better go.'

'When will we see you?' Elena asked hopefully but Stefan shook his head.

'Not for while', he answered firmly, 'But', he went on, 'maybe not as long as I first thought.' Elena accepted this and maintained eye contact for another moment as he backed away and then turned, heading towards the door. She was sorrier that she could ever say that she had hurt him but she realised that at last he understood. He knew that she and Damon's love was the real thing, could see how happy they both were and perhaps this might make it easier for him to bear. Suddenly she felt very sure that they would see him again, maybe in one year, maybe a few, but in the end he would come to terms with this and return to them as a brother and a friend.

This thought had no sooner passed through her head when suddenly Damon rounded the front door of the hotel at exactly the same time as Stefan was about to leave. They were directly in each other's path and stopped in their tracks, looking at each other. Elena felt her heart heap into her throat, anxiety seizing her that they might start a fight right here in the hotel lobby, but instead they stood facing each other for a long time. Finally Damon spoke but he was speaking too low for her to hear. Stefan's face softened at his brother's words as he replied in the same, indecipherable tone. Obviously this was very deliberately meant to be between the brothers alone so Elena backed away and left them their moment. For the rest of her existence, she never found out what words transpired between the brothers that day, she only knew that, right before she turned her back on them, she saw Stefan smile again for the first time in weeks.

As the brother's spoke she wandered across the lobby and waited idly at the full length mirror, absent mindedly flicking her hair. She leaned towards the glass to check her face and suddenly, without her features having shifted at all, her reflection independently smiled and nodded encouragingly at her. Elena gasped and jumped back from the mirror but immediately her reflection did the same, following all her moves identically once more. She looked in confusion at the glass, her eyes wide with shock and then slowly understanding crept over her and a smile grew.

'Thank you, Tatia', she breathed with sad affection.

'What was that?' came a voice suddenly behind her, startling her and making her jump. She scowled jokingly as she saw Damon's reflection hovering over her shoulder in the mirror. She whirled around and good naturedly punched his arm.

'Don't scare me like that!' she reprimanded him, but it was undermined by the laugh in her eyes.

'I can't help it. I'm very scary', Damon smirked wickedly. At last she laughed properly and let him wind his arms around her waist.

'Where have you been anyway?' she asked happily, looking up into his eyes.

'Well, if you must know', he began, stepping away from her and reaching inside his jacket, 'I was getting something for you.' Elena felt her spirits soar at this prospect and she realised that he had never actually given her anything before. The thought of him thinking about her when she wasn't around him warmed her deliciously and she smiled eagerly.

'Really?' she asked excitedly and he nodded as he produced a small, rectangular package, wrapped in plain paper, presumably by the store. 'What is it?' she pressed, taking it from him.

'Open it', he urged and watched carefully for her reaction. She tore the paper back and then suddenly her eyes widened and her excitement grew into something much deeper.

'It's a new diary', Damon explained unnecessarily as Elena ran her fingers lovingly over the red leather cover. 'I thought you might like to start getting to know the vampire Elena a bit better.' She felt her heart swell in her chest, so completely touched by the thoughtfulness of his gift. 'Spoiler', he carried on in an exaggerated stage whisper, 'she's pretty great.' At last Elena grinned and looked up at him, her eyes full of gratitude and affection.

'Thank you', she replied, 'this is ... perfect.' Then she put her arms around him and hugged him tightly, enjoying the little groan of contentment that escaped him as she did so. They both felt like the world had shifted and, suddenly, after years of wandering, they were where they were meant to be. Damon finally pulled back with a smile and pressed a very brief kiss to her lips.

'Come on then. It's time to go', he quirked an eyebrow devilishly and gave her a playful spank on the ass, causing her to giggle. He swung her bag up onto his shoulder and turned back to look at her, the wicked smirk that she knew so well curling his lip enticingly.

'You ready?' he asked and Elena felt her whole body suddenly hum with anticipation and excitement, as the diary burned in her hands, reminding her of the new life that was laid out before her, just waiting to be written. A life that could be whatever she wanted, with passion excitement and, yes, maybe even a little danger. A broad grin spread across her face and she replied pointedly.

'Oh yes, Damon. I'm ready.'

**Epilogue**

The sun beat down on the blue waters of Lake Como in Northern Italy and it sparkled like a sapphire amongst the emerald green hills. Near the village of Varenna, higher up on the hillside and far from the main road, was a particularly secluded villa. It was quintessentially Italian and the glorious sunshine flooded through wide open doors into an exquisitely appointed living room with a tiled floor and expensive furnishings. At this particular moment, however, the elegant couch and chaise longue had been cleared to the side of the room and two women sat cross legged in the centre of the floor, hands joined and eyes closed. One had long, lustrous dark hair pushed back by a pair of sunglasses that were sitting on her forehead, while the other had bouncy auburn curls. Painted starkly on the tiles beneath them, was a pentagram. Katherine and Morgan had always had the best taste in hideaways.

Suddenly both women opened their eyes with a gasp. Katherine immediately sprang from her place on the floor and paced around, stretching her limbs like she had just been released from a cage. She finally came to rest at the open window, yanking the sunglasses down over her eyes as she looked out into the bright daylight.

'Did it work?' demanded Katherine, turning her fearsome glare on the witch who still sat on the floor, but her companion merely smiled.

'Just like it was supposed to', the witch replied. 'I was worried when the ritual was interrupted that it might not, but everything went perfectly. The link is open again – but from your side only. You can see Elena but she won't see you.'

'And her mind, it won't ... I mean, she'll be safe?' Katherine confirmed, a hint of unfamiliar softness filtering through her eyes. Morgan nodded haughtily.

'She'll be fine. She'll have _no_ _idea_ that anything has happened', she assured the vampire.

'Good', Katherine grinned, relief evident for a second and then quickly banished by her usual smugness. She closed her eyes and her face was gripped by a look of concentration, which slowly gave way to a dangerous, victorious smirk. 'They're back in Mystic Falls now', she reported with dangerous glee. 'Things seem to be going ...well', she finished and a smile that seemed to arise from a place other than her usual sarcasm and bitterness graced her face for a moment. Then she dropped back against the door frame and seemed to let her focus go, the vision slipping away.

'And you're not worried. About _your_ mind?' Morgan asked timidly. Katherine threw her head back and laughed.

'Me? Her memories are a drop in the ocean compared to mine. There's plenty of room here', she tapped the side of her head devilishly. 'No, when I planned to hand them over, I didn't think Klaus would kill her right away and it was going to be the perfect way to keep an eye on him', she continued regretfully. 'As long as the link couldn't be used to see me, of course.'

'Of course', Morgan agreed. 'So if she's not with Klaus, like you planned. Why did you decide to reactivate the link?' the witch asked curiously.

'Well, it's always handy to be able to look in on them if Klaus is around', Katherine replied with a shrug and then her face twisted into grin full of shameless pleasure. 'Besides', she continued, pulling the sunglasses off and fixing Morgan with wide, dark eyes, a spark of affection glowing amid their chaotic tumult. 'They're just far too much fun!'

**THE END**

**A/N: And if this were a movie we'd finish on a big old close up of Katherine, the doppelganger's eyes. (See? Because she's the dope ... yeah you get where I'm going with this! lol) **

**Go on, you didn't really think I'd let Elena die after everything, did you? Ha ha!**

**It's been a pleasure writing this and I am amazed at how much it took arms and legs. It was only meant to be Damon and Elena in the beginning but the other characters just forced their way in there – especially the bits with Matt, which kind of came to me after I'd already started writing and I nearly didn't include them. I was quite pleased with how those bits as turned out in the end actually as I got to give him the chance to do something other than just stand around frowning like he does on the show! **

**Not planning on starting anything else any time soon as for the next few weeks the plan is:**

**Couch+Christmas Films+chocolate = Homer Simpsonesque drooling noise.**

**I just want to take one last opportunity to thank you all so very much for reading this story and leaving me all your fantastic comments and reviews. I have loved every one of them and they have made this such a rewarding exercise. Since I only have time to either write or read – I look forward to having a little time to read some of **_**your**_** fics now.**

**Thanks again and I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas when it comes.**

**XXX**

FF_4144701_1390407822 13 07 December 2012


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